The man, named by police as Samroeng Sangthong, 61, a resident of Patong, was placed under arrest on Bangla Rd at 2:30am on Saturday (Jan 21), Patong Police reported.
Samroeng was found with cocaine “ready to use” in three separate plastic bags, police noted.
One bag contained 0.94 grammes of cocaine, another contained 0.9g and the third contained 0.74g of the drug, police said.
Samroeng was taken to Patong Police Station and charged with possession of a Category 2 narcotic for consumption”, officers reported.
No reason was given for the delay in announcing Samroeng’s arrest.
However, the arrest was credited as under the direction of Patong Police Station Chief Col Sujin Nilbadi and Deputy Chiefs Lt Col Preecha Baringpattanakul and Lt Col Wutthiwat Liangboonjinda.
The arrest was made by a team of officers led by Capt Thongplew Kruehom of the Patong Police joined a “special patrol network” of Tourist Police led by Capt Ittikorn Phacharadet, overseen by Tourist Police regional senior officers Maj Gen Chaiyaphong Wanichacheewa, police noted.
By coiincidence, Mr Samroengâs arrest follows the arrest of an Uzbek woman caught trying to smuggle 2.23 kilogrammes of cocaine into Phuket after arriving on a flight from Doha last Friday (Jan 20).
Pooliekev | 25 January 2023 - 12:07:17