Police initially received information that Thanorm Inthanam, 43, living on Thaweewong Rd in Patong was selling drugs. Acting on instructions from Pol Lt Col Jeeraphat Phochanaphan, deputy superintendent of Kathu police, plain-clothes police made an appointment to go to his home to buy B1,000 in drugs from him.
When Thanorm opened the door officers barged in and demanded to search him and his place. Thanorm gave permission and police found 0.4 grams of ice in his pocket.
Under questioning he said he had bought the drugs from a woman he called Maew. He gave them her rough whereabouts.
When officers arrived in the area they saw a man acting suspiciously, so they stopped and searched him, and found he was holding 0.3 grams of ice in his hand. He was arrested. Police now had the address of “Maew” and contacted her pretending they wanted to buy B2,000 worth of ice.
A young woman was sent to deliver the drugs to the “buyers” and to collect the money. The woman, Tassanee Lomloy, 24, from Ubon Ratchathani, was arrested for possession after 0.3 grams were found on her person.
She was persuaded to take officers to the home of “Maew”. There they were met by Siriporn Insuk, 29, from Chaiyaphum, also known as Maew. In her wallet they found four one-gram packets of ya ice and another containing half a gram.
They also found eight small plastic bags, a set of digital scales and six notebooks detailing drug sales. Siriporn and Tassanee were arrested on charges of possession of a Category 1 drug with intent to sell.