Major British drug dealer arrested in Phuket restaurant
Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) arrested a major British drug dealer at a restaurant in Phuket yesterday after he escaped a life imprisonment sentence in the UK and fled to Phuket to live a life of luxury.
The UK’s National Crime Agency requested cooperation from the Thai authorities in the arrest of the fugitive drug suspect, a 28 year old man named Ben. He was a major drug dealer believed to have been hiding in Thailand since 2022.
CIB officers conducted a further investigation and discovered that Ben was staying in Phuket. He had a luxury condominium and a pool villa near Rawai Beach in the Mueang district of Phuket. He had reinvented himself from a drug dealer to a professional boxer.
Ben remained in Phuket and participated in multiple boxing matches under the name Billy. The police tracked him down and managed to arrest him yesterday, September 2, at a restaurant in the Rawai area. He was subsequently taken to Bangkok for further legal proceedings and his eventual transfer to the UK.
Ben reportedly denied the allegations. The British authorities have charged him with violating three criminal laws, including supplying class A narcotics (cocaine), supplying class B narcotics (ketamine), and acquiring or processing valuables obtained through illegal activities. The penalty for these offences is reported to be life imprisonment.
In a similar incident in March, Chiang Mai police, acting on a tip-off, arrested an Englishman, Charly Garcia, for selling drugs to other foreign visitors in the province. He was offering various kinds of drugs, including cocaine, ketamine, magic mushrooms, LSD, and MDMA.
In the same month, Phuket police also arrested another British national, Stephen Mullady, with cocaine and crystal meth in his possession. Despite the presence of methamphetamine, also known as Yaba, Mullady tested positive for it.
Another British man was arrested in May at Phuket International Airport for the possession of cocaine. The 29 year old Englishman, Jamie Louise Swain, was caught upon his arrival after he handed over his passport, which had cocaine hidden inside, to airport officials.
The foreign man reportedly displayed a shocked reaction and swore in frustration at the recklessness that led to his arrest.
