The two men ‒ both unnamed in official reports ‒ were arrested last Friday (Dec 1), reported the Phuket branch of the Public Relations Department (PR Phuket).
The Phuket Provincial Administrative Special Operations Team were operating under orders from Phuket Governor Sophon Suwannarat, who had tasked Office of the Narcotics Control Board officer Jiradet Burarak and Phuket Provincial Defense Assistant Thongchai Rattanadet with leading the ‘task force’.
The team had arranged to buy drugs from the men, resulting in the search of a room at an unregistered address in Moo 5 Rawai, and a subsequent search of a garbage and equipment storage room at an undisclosed address in Moo 10, Chalong.
The officers seized intotal 1,119 grams (1.1kg) of ya ice, and 9,765 ya bah pills and 105.22g of ketamine.
Also reported as seized was one ‘Rambo 3’ handgun (likely an air pistol) with two magazines and six rounds of “ammunition”.
Officers also seized one digital weighing scale, drug-taking paraphernalia, four mobile phones, 23 12 ×8cm clear plastic bags and 3.5×5cm 80 clear plastic bags, and B2,500 in cash.
The report noted that the officials, although not police, had the power of arrest under Section 11/16 of the Drug Case Procedure Act. (Issue 2) B.E. 2021.
Under the act suspects can be detained without an arrest warrant for up to three days before being handed over to the Public Prosecutor to face charges.
However, both suspects were taken to Chalong Provincial Police Station and charged accordingly, the report said.
It was not explained why Chalong Police were not directly involved in the operation.
The first suspect (still unnamed) was charged with conspiracy to illegal possession of Category 1 narcotics with intent to sell and actually selling Category 1 narcotics without permission, as well as joint possession of a Category 2 narcotic (ketamine) for sale without permission.
He was also charged with drug use of meth and possession of a firearm and ammunition without permission.
The second suspect arrested was also charged with illegal possession of Category 1 narcotics with intent to sell and actually selling Category 1 narcotics without permission, as well as joint possession of a Category 2 narcotic (ketamine) for sale without permission and drug use (ya ice), the report said.