Thai man and British national arrested with cocaine in Phuket

Phuket administrative officers arrested a Thai man and a British national for cocaine possession during a sting operation in the Patong area on Saturday, December 20.

The Special Operations Unit of the Phuket Provincial Administrative Office launched the operation after receiving complaints about the sale of cocaine near Patong Beach. According to officials, most customers were foreign tourists.

The complainant urged authorities to act quickly, saying the drug trade was seriously damaging Phuket’s image as a world-class tourist destination.

Following the complaints, officers carried out an investigation and identified a Thai motorcycle taxi rider of being involved in drug distribution. Officers later arrested the him near Patong Beach in Kathu district.

Officers seized illegal drugs from the Thai suspect including two packets of cocaine weighing approximately 2.07 grammes, as well as seven packets of cocaine mixed with tramadol, weighing around 5.84 grammes in total.

After the initial arrest, officers expanded their investigation to identify other people involved in the drug network. This led to a sting operation targeting a second suspect, a British national believed to be supplying cocaine in the area.

Officers posed as customers and contacted the British suspect to arrange a drug purchase. The operation resulted in his arrest in Soi Saen Sabai, Patong sub-district, Kathu district.

Police then searched the British man’s condominium room and seized additional evidence, including 1.03 grammes of cocaine, 3,000 baht in marked banknotes used during the sting operation, a Honda Civic sedan, and a mobile phone.

Both suspects, along with all seized evidence, were handed over to investigators at Patong Police Station for further legal proceedings.

Police charged the two men with possession of Category 2 narcotics with intent to sell. The offence carries a penalty of up to 10 years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to 1 million baht.

The case follows several similar drug busts in recent months. On November 18, officers from Patong Police Station arrested a Nigerian man during a sting operation at a hospital car park after he was caught selling cocaine.

In another case on October 29, two Nigerian nationals were arrested in Pattaya for cocaine-related offences. One of the suspects attempted to evade arrest by swallowing the drugs, but police intervened in time to prevent a potentially fatal overdose.