Officers from Karon and Patong Police Stations working together arrested the two Canadian nationals after Patong Police Station received a report at 4:45pm on Sunday of an altercation in front of the Patong Condo Hotel.
As officers arrived, the men fled the scene in a black Ford pickup, heading toward Karon. During the escape, the pickup truck struck multiple vehicles, causing significant damage.
Patong Police initiated a pursuit, coordinating with Karon Police Station to intercept the fleeing vehicle.
At approximately 5:10pm, officers from Karon Police successfully intercepted the pickup near the Big C outlet near Wat Karon on Patak Rd.
The driver was identified as Canadian national Samuel Lee Jackson, 34 (his name confirmed by his passport), accompanied by another Canadian, Jared Liam Wong, from Vancouver, also 34.
During questioning, Jackson claimed he had fled the scene of the altercation in Patong after being injured in the fight and was attempting to reach a hospital.
Authorities took Jackson to Patong Hospital for treatment and placed Wong into police custody for further investigation.
However, upon searching the vehicle and Wong’s possessions, police discovered a significant quantity of illegal substances, including 100 grammes of narcotics (crystal meth mixed with cocaine), 88 cocaine capsules, six lorazepam pills, 50 alprazolam pills, 14g of dung mushrooms, drug paraphernalia and other illicit substances.
Police believe the suspects were attempting to distribute drugs to foreign tourists attending the EDC Thailand event held last weekend at Boat Avenue Lakefront in Cherng Talay.
Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pol Maj Gen Sinlert Sukhum ordered an extensive investigation to trace the suspects/ network and uncover further connections.