Pol Lt Saruta Phumduang, Deputy Chief of Investigation at Phuket City Police, was notified of the incident at about 8pm and dispatched officers to the scene.
Forensic specialists from Vachira Phuket Hospital were also called to assist in the investigation.
Upon arrival at the residence, officers found the body of the Russian man on the floor. Officers reported no visible signs of assault.
According to initial investigations, the man’s girlfriend was the first to discover his body at around 6pm. She immediately checked on him but found he had already passed away.
The brief report by police gave no explanation for the time delay between the Man’s body being found and police being notified.
However, at the scene, police discovered a syringe and a white powdery substance on a coffee table near the deceased.
A portion of the white powder was on a teaspoon on the table, and a lighter was placed nearby.
The Phuket Provincial Forensic Science Office was contacted to collect and analyse the substance to determine whether it was a drug and if it played a role in the man’s death.
According to photos of the scene, books on the table indicated that the Russian man was attempting recovery when he died.
Regardless, police reported that they were continuing their investigation to establish the exact cause of death.