Busted Phuket Drugs Gang Linked to Bangkok Prison 'Mastermind

series of arrests on Phuket last night has involved the exposure of what appears to be two drugs gangs who were handling thousands of yah ba methamphetamine tablets and in possession of several handguns.

It is believed a man who was arrested on Phuket in 2004 and is now serving time in Bangkok's Bangkwang Prison was the mastermind behind one of the gangs.



Following on from the arrest in May of a man on Phuket in May with 30,000 yah ba tablets, governor's officers raided a room occupied by Praphan Nammali, 36, finding 17,000 tablets and 150 grams of yah ice.

Khun Praphan told them the original size of his cache was 30,000 tablets and 1000 grams, but he had sold much of it at 3500 baht a gram.

It is believed he replaced the man arrested in May as a distributor for a drugs network overseen by ''Khun Ae'' in the Bangkok jail.

The raid on the room at Saphan Hin community village was preceded the previous day by a series of inter-connected Phuket police raids, some nearby, that netted three men and a woman and a haul that totalled 5000 yah ba tablets, 590 grams of yah ice, five ilelgal guns and 218 bullets.

 

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Two major drug dealers were arrested

Two major drug dealers were arrested last evening (July 24) and a total of 22,300 pills of ya-ba (methamphetamine) and three quarters of a kilo of ya-ice (crystal methamphetamine), with a total street value of about B7 million, were seized.
The first major dealer, Prapan Nammali, 36, had been under suspicion for some time, police said. His arrest at about 8:30 pm came after an undercover policeman posing as a buyer managed to trap Prapan into selling drugs to him.

The subsequent search of Prapan’s house in the Sapan Hin area uncovered a haul of 17,300 ya-ba pills and 150 grams of ya-ice.

Under questioning, Prapan confessed that he had replaced another dealer at the Phuket end of what appears to be national drug ring. The other dealer, Odd, was arrested on May 12.

Odd and he had both received their orders from a man Prapan named as Ae, currently incarcerated in Bangkwang prison in Nonthaburi Province.

On Ae’s orders the drugs were brought from Bangkok to Phuket by a man Prapan named as Bas. The drugs were delivered to him during a rendezvous outside the Siam Commercial Bank branch on Thepkrasattree Road, close to the Rajabhat University intersection, he said.

Phuket City Police said they will collaborate with Bangkwang Prison officials to identify Ae and arrest him.

On the same evening, around the same time, police began a rolling series of arrests with Yotin Innipat, 32, who was found in illegal possession of a .38 revolver and 12 rounds of ammunition.

His responses to questions led police to the nearby Saphan Hin home of Ekachai Saekor, 28. A search of his home uncovered 1,500 ya ba pills and 90 grams of ya ice, along with a 9mm pistol and 28 rounds of ammunition.

Using information they got from questioning him, police next went to the home of Ekachai Naamkanthi, 25, and On-anong Leesakul, 21, in Phuket Villa 1 in Sam Kong. There, they seized 3,500 ya ba pills and half a kilo of ya ice, along with a pistol and 190 bullets of varying calibres.

All are now locked up awaiting their date with the judge

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British Tourist Complains Police Will Not Investigate His Ladyboy Masseur

Briton who was robbed in a hotel in Bangkok says he was told by Thai police to claim on insurance as they were not going to investigate – despite the fact that the thief, a lady boy, was not only caught on CCTV but also left a copy of his ID with reception.

Kevin M (name withheld) was robbed on the first night of a Thai holiday in Thailand.  To cap his holiday, shortly before his return home he and his friends were victim of a shakedown by Thai police in Pattaya while riding their hired motorcycles.

The young engineer from Manchester had for a long time been a ‘Muay Thai’ enthusiast and came to Thailand to find a ‘Muay Thai’ school.

He arrived on June 6th and checked into City Lodge Hotel in Sukhumvit Soi 19 and that night went out with his friend on the town.  They got home in the early hours.

He decided to go out for one more drink and was directed by hotel staff to a mobile bar on the corner of Sukhumvit and Asoke.  A ‘girl’ there kept offering to go back to his room for sex, but he declined, he said.  He said he had successfully been fighting/fending women off all night while inspecting a nearby infamous red light area. Eventually, he says, he agreed to a massage at 500Thai baht (just over £10)

On returning to the room he gave the ‘girl’ 500 baht in advance and locked his belongings in his safe, or last least thought he had. He had an unimpressive massage and then asked 'her' to leave.  She begged a drink from the hotel mini-bar and he says he must have fallen asleep in the meantime.

On waking up in the morning he found that two credit cards, his mobile phone, and £600 cash was missing.

He rushed to reception and eventually found out that staff had not only caught the culprit on television but also had a copy of ‘his’ ID. 

Kevin says he was shocked to find out that his masseuse was a masseur and that he had had a man in his room that night but said he also actually felt relieved that he had not been murdered as he had heard stories like this. It was a salutary first night.

He then rushed to the police station at Lumpini to report the theft, together with a copy of the ladyboy’s ID.  But police would not accompany him back to his hotel to see the CCTV footage.

He said he found police were not interested in investigating the lady boy but more interested in finding out what he actually did with the lady boy in the bedroom.  'Nothing!' he insisted.  Translation of the police report however has him saying that he invited the lady boy back for sex.

(One good reason perhaps never to give a statement to Thai police without a translator. Had he said he had actually done something with the lady boy, from past cases its seems there's a good chance there would be a queue of police lining up to hear the details)

Police, he said, told him there was little they could do.  He should make a statement to claim against insurance. ‘Can I call the credit card company?’ he asked.  No. The police did not have this facility.

While this was going an Asian Kevin M with black hair, a strong jaw line, but wearing woman’s clothes, turned up at Bliss-Tel on the ground floor of Seacon Square and made purchases totaling over £900 (44,000 Baht) I would guess more than half the shop's monthly wage bill. The most expensive mobile phone in stock was about 15,000 baht.

 

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Dangers of Pattaya today.

Pattaya now unfortunately has become a war zone of criminal activity. It is not the Pattaya of long ago where the only thing you worried about was the occasional overcharging at entertainment or Food establishments.

Today there are many criminal gangs who operate in Pattaya with the sole purpose of robbing Farangs/Tourists of Money or anything of value such as rented Motorbikes, Jewelery, cash, e.t.c
These criminals come from far and wide from many parts of Thailand for these purposes alone.
In the process of the many many Robberies that have been committed against Tourists, people have been killed, seriously injured, and left with serious injury and trauma.

There are many Robberies of Tourists daily. Tourists often get approached with knives or guns so that they hand over their valuables and the perpetrators have no qualms about using their deadly force.

If you must go to Pattaya do not wear any Gold or Jewellery that is of value because most likely you may well be targeted by thieves. They will rip the Gold chain from your person without a thought. Resistance to the thieves in many cases has ended in serious injury or death.

The situation is not getting better, but worse and worse daily. Crime is in Epidemic proportions. Foreign embassies do not offer a travel warning about Pattaya which is wrong considering the very high amount of crime in the city. You do not need to take my word about this but read what is going on in print.

There are three excellent newspaper publications published in Pattaya today and they are available to be read online without cost. They are Pattaya Mail, Pattaya people newspaper, and Pattaya city news.

All back issues are available and offer a sample of the many crimes committed in Pattaya today and related problems. They are a warning to anyone who may think that Pattaya is one big entertainment where one can go about there daily routine without being extremely wary of what is going on around you.

Despite the Billions in Foreign currency being poured in to Pattaya by Tourists, the issue of crime against Tourists and locals has not been treated seriously enough by the authorities just by going by the plague proportions of crime in Pattaya today which is very, very sad.

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Two Men Arrested for Sex Crime

Two men, Toi and Koh were brought into Pattaya Police Station on the afternoon of the 16th July, after being arrested and accused of sexually assaulting a young girl under the age of 13.

According to the girl’s parents, they had kidnapped the child and molested her at an apartment room in Huy Yai.

 

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In the 1980s, the Costa del Sol was the destination of choice for many British criminals. Today they head to Thailand

The recent case of the slaying of two young Russian women in Pattaya has highlighted once again Thai culprits involved in crimes against farang.
The problem is that it’s very easy to loose perspective in these cases and slight the Thais as being ruthless. However, as this article will show there have been numerous cases of farangs acting badly, among themselves and against Thais. And not just farang troublemakers from the prominent countries, but from virtually every farang country in the West. The farang crimes range all the way from abusive behaviour to murder. Very often, in cases of murder, however, it is a crime of passion, caused not least because of cultural disparity and communication breakdown

The first three cases involve Russians acting badly.
Recent reports in the local newspaper, Pattaya Today tell how 5 alcohol-affected Muscovites were involved in a violent scene with a larger group of Thais on Second Road in front of Planet Food. The quarrel apparently started when a Thai man accused all Russians of being violent idiots. As the fight developed, a police volunteer was assaulted by one of the Russians and the ringleader of the Russians was struck on the head by a plank of wood. The group escaped stage-left.

The next case describes how a group of Russians, disgruntled by their expectations regarding one of the ladies employed by Relax Massage Parlour, nearly started a riot at 3 am. The group had originally left, but returned after partaking of Dutch courage. When refused entry, they started becoming abusive and heavy handed with the property, leading to their arrest. Later, at the police station, one of the Russians arrested said he couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about as apparently such behaviour is normal in Russia.

The final story Russian involves an Anglo-Irishman who picked up two Russian women for casual sex, but had been given a Mickey Finn and robbed of his valuables to the tune of four million Baht: two diamond rings, a gold cross and chain, a necklace, a laptop computer and other valuable items. These items, along with the women, had mysteriously disappeared.

The British are also prime offenders and not only their infamous football hooligans:
ALLEGED BRITISH PAEDOPHILE SLIPS THROUGH EDUCATIONAL VETTING NET
English Man Stabs Wife Follow-up and Final.
British man charged sexual harassment
A British man has been arrested with the murder of his girlfriend.

The Irish are also implicated
Taxi Heroes, helped in hunt for Irishman after Thai girl‘s murder.

Other Europeans are equally prominent, especially gangs:
Italian convicts arrested by Pattaya Immigration
Pattaya Tourist Police caught young German man who has escaped fraudulent lawsuit

This case refers to a Yugoslavian gang of ATM robbers.
police officer arrested gang convicts of ATM machine robbery

The Scandinavians have a large percentage of foreign national living in Pattaya:
PATTAYA, DRUNK SWEDE KILLS ONE THAI BANANA BOAT PASSENGER AND INJURES ANOTHER.
ESTONIAN VOYEUR CAUGHT TAKING PHOTOS OF NUDE CHINESE WOMEN
NORWEGIAN NATIONAL ARRESTED IN CHILD SEX CASE

Next comes instances of a French-Arab connection:
PATTAYA_FRENCH-ARAB CREDIT CARD THIEVES APPREHENDED

After that, comes the Australians:
Aussie arrested for threatening a waitress
The following case refers to an Australian victim robbed by foreign Mafia with Thai collusion.
Iran’s Mafia and Thai gang carried and robbed young Aussie owner of Diamond Shop

Latin Americans also feature:
Brazilian Youth Mobile Snatcher Caught in the Act

Another case of credit card fraud relates to Koreans, (who are obviously not farang):
Credit card fraud (Korean)

What all the above incidents indicate is that foreign nationals are also involved in criminal acts in Pattaya, not just Thais. The British newspaper The Guardian reported on Monday April 11, 2005 that British criminals were forsaking the Costa del Sol in favour of Thailand.

“In the 1980s, the Costa del Sol was the destination of choice for many British criminals. Today they head to Thailand”

No-one is denying that Pattaya has absorbed more than its fair share of foreign criminals, but lest the situation becomes blown out of all perspective, let it be said that the Thai police are doing their utmost to uncover the culprits in the Russian slaying incidents, with road blocks and increased police and marine presence on the streets of this popular holiday resort. It also needs to be pointed out that Pattaya is far from being a hot-bed of crime.

On rarely hears police sirens on the streets, most incidents are isolated and happen more in side streets than on the main streets of Pattaya. Essentially, there is very little visible crime in this city and no “no-go” areas, unlike in many American and British cities.

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Pattaya Sex, Crime and Suicide Capital of Asia

Pattaya Sex, Crime and Suicide Capital of Asia

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Immigration Pounce on Prostitute Ring

Chonburi Immigration announced the arrest of an Australian expat and his Thai wife in the early hours of Thursday morning.  Mr. Greg Johnston, aged 54 from Australia and 32 year old Mrs. Yaonita were caught red handed by an undercover agent for operating a prostitution service at a bar in South Pattaya.  After receiving information about the couple’s antics, Immigration set up the operation to catch them in the act.  At the bar, one bargirl Miss Pigoon, fell right into the trap and was arrested, and so after officers identified themselves, all three were taken away for further questioning.

 

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Surprise Surprise for Auntie Som

Mrs. Sompaen, affectionately called Auntie Som by local residents in Soi Chaiyapruek in the Jomtien area, after receiving a phone call, agreed to visit someone waiting for her near her house to give her some money.  When the 61 year old woman went outside she got the surprise of her life, the young man she met handed her some money and as a thank you she gave him some yaba tablets in return.  Little did she realise it was a set up sting operation by local police.  This not so nice Auntie Som was in fact a local drug dealer, and quite often went about carrying a loaded Remington gun – which was impounded when she was arrested and taken back to the police station for further questioning.

 

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Police Begin to Crack Credit Card Fraud Network

Pattaya Police announced on Wednesday the arrest of an Algerian man, Abdelmalek Boukemara, for possession of fake credit cards.  The 35 year old Algerian had been a part of a network in France that organised a system of hacking online banking and credit card information from unsuspecting victims.  He had accumulated hundreds of cards, and when he was caught he was in possession of 114 fake cards.  The arrest was made after an investigative Police team got wind of the man’s suspicious movements with withdrawing money and sending large amounts of money abroad. His bank records showed that on a regular basis, he was sending nearly a million baht out of the country without any reasonable income source in the country.  The Algerian was apprehended after withdrawing money from an ATM in Soi 7 off Pattaya Second Road. Police accompanied him to his residence in Soi 17 where they found over 100 cards.  He confessed to being part of a network and came to Thailand believing its technology was not up to date in tracing him. From his first days in Phuket to his last in Pattaya the man is believed to have accumulated well over 10 million baht.  He was detained for further investigation and a search is now on for his fellow conspirators also believed to be residing in the area.

 

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Tour Company Raided for Operating Counterfeit Empire

ongoing investigation about a long established Tour Company operating illegally by selling prohibited drugs and pirate products, Pattaya Police set about with a warrant to search the premises in question on Tuesday evening.  They entered the Malis Travel and Laundry Service 3 storey building on Soi Buakhao and detained Mr. Nadeem from Pakistan and his employees.  After an intense search of the premises officers found a concealed locked store room, where they discovered a large quantity of drugs such as Viagra, Kamagra and prohibited steroids and contraband cigarettes. At the same time, another team of officers and volunteers were searching another of the Pakistani’s businesses and found 10,000 pieces of counterfeit designer clothing and accessory goods. Now under a full investigation, it is estimated that the network being operated out of Pattaya and Bangkok, were in possession of fake products and illegal substances worth over 10 million baht.

 

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arrest of an American man wanted for crimes committed in the USA.

Superintendent Police Colonel Chusak Panutamporn announced that 60 year old teacher Mr. Dennis Catron from Illinois had fled the country after being bailed for 500,000 US dollars by the US Court.  He had been convicted of paedophilia acts with young boys.  Catron was subsequently sentenced (in abstentia) to 36 years in jail.  It was believed that he had fled to Thailand where he worked as a teacher at a number of schools in the past.  The Royal Thai police were notified and asked to help find the fugitive.  After an investigation and collaboration between the police and the US Embassy in Bangkok, it was revealed that Catron had applied to be a teacher at a few schools in the area and he was eventually traced to two residences, one in Bangkok and the other in Soi Buakhao in South Pattaya. He was subsequently arrested by Chonburi Immigration officers outside his apartment in Bangkok. Catron confessed that he was indeed the wanted man in question. As a result his Thai visa has been revoked and he now faces extradition back to the US to face trial.

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Expat Arrested for Growing Pot

Police raided the home of a dual nationality expat on Saturday night and seized a quantity of marijuana plants growing in the back garden, a loaded gun and other narcotics, and arrested 28 year old David Alexander.   The man was the holder of both French and British passports. He had recently moved to Pattaya from Phuket and after police received information that he was indeed a drug dealer, a court warrant was issued to search the rented house off Thappraya Road.  He claimed that he bought the gun and marihuana seeds from a friend in Phuket and that the yah ice was for his own personal use.  All evidence was impounded and the young man was taken away to face legal proceedings.

 

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Thai police asked to probe Kirsty Jones murder

Thai Police have been asked to investigate a man named on a Youtube video as a possible suspect in a Welsh backpacker's murder 11 years ago.

Kirsty Jones, 23, from Tredomen, near Brecon, Powys, was raped and strangled at a guesthouse on 10 August, 2000.

Her murder is unsolved but a video has been posted on the internet naming a man allegedly seen near the guesthouse.

Dyfed-Powys Police said it and the Foreign Office had asked Thai authorities to investigate the claim.

Despite a number of arrests, no charges have ever been brought over Ms Jones' death.

Ms Jones, a Liverpool University graduate, was found dead in a room at the Aree guest house in Chiang Mai, which is north of Bangkok.

She was three months into a two-year around-the-world trip.


"It's painful. We still miss her, always will miss her terribly”

Sue Jones
Mother of Kirsty Jones

Kirsty's mother Sue Jones said the family "still miss her terribly"
Memories

Her mother Sue Jones said: "It's something we have been aware of for quite a while now...we are still awaiting the Thais to DNA [him].

"Obviously if it is him that will be a good thing. If it isn't, it eliminates him from the investigation."

The family want a representative from the British authorities to be present at the DNA test "so that we could be absolutely sure it is done properly," she said.

Mrs Jones added that "the memories of Kirsty will always be there".

"It's painful. We still miss her, always will miss her terribly," she said.

Interpol

Dyfed-Powys Police have assisted the Thai Police with the investigation in the past.

Det Ch Supt Steve Wilkins said the force was aware of allegations made in the video.



The information has been passed to the Thai authorities ”

Det Ch Supt Steve Wilkins
Dyfed-Powys Police
He said: "This allegation, and its source, has been subject of discussions between Dyfed-Powys Police and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for some time, with a request to the Thai authorities to thoroughly investigate.

"The information has been passed to the Thai authorities as they retain primacy in the investigation.

"We are continuing to liaise with them, via Interpol and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in relation to this information and other lines of inquiry."

 

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Two Melbourne school teachers have had a narrow escape after armed bandits fired upon their car in Thailand.

The female teachers from Ringwood Secondary College were on a school trip to the northern city of Chiang Mai when their vehicle was sprayed with bullets on Sunday.

A Department of Education spokeswoman said one of the teachers suffered a small cut in the shooting and was taken to hospital for treatment.

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''The teacher underwent tests and has been given the medical all-clear,'' the spokeswoman said.

She said the students were at their home-stay accommodation in Chiang Mai at the time and were not under threat.

The teacher who was injured in the attack is believed to be Lynda Cody, the international student coordinator at Ringwood Secondary College.

The assistant principal at Ringwood Secondary College travelled to Thailand yesterday to provide support to the teachers, while the students will return to Melbourne tomorrow as scheduled.

According to its website, Ringwood Secondary College is a sister school to Montfort College in Chiang Mai, and trips to Thailand take place regularly.

Mrs Cody has coordinated trips between Ringwood Secondary College and Montfort College for the past four years.

She and her colleague had been attending an education event at Montfort College without the students, and were travelling in the vehicle with a teacher from their school's sister school when their car was fired upon.

The Department of Education spokeswoman said Ringwood Secondary College was offering counselling to the teachers and students.

''A Department psychologist has already spoken to the teachers and is providing ongoing support,'' she said.

Police in Thailand are investigating the shooting.

A Department of Foreign Affairs spokesperson said one of the teachers suffered a minor head wound.

''Australian consular officers are keeping in close contact with Thai authorities about the matter and are providing consular assistance to the teachers and students,'' the spokesperson said.

''Consular officers in Canberra are contact with the women's family in Australia.''

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1 injured in drive-by shooting at East Pattaya Internet cafe

One woman was injured in a drive-by shooting at a Soi Nernplabwan Internet cafe.

Kuladee Sainak, 26, suffered a cut to the cheek when a teenager on a motorbike fired into the NOS Online shop around 3 a.m. June 21. She was treated at Banglamung Hospital and released.

Naruepol Yimyai, 19, said he and some friends were taking a break from late-night online gaming when a teen identified only as “Pon” drove up. The cyclist inquired whether one of Naruepol’s friends nicknamed “Ae,” was inside. When Naruepol replied that he wasn’t, Pon drove away.

Sometimes it not even safe inside an Internet cafe.

However, the cyclist returned 10 minutes later with a gun and fired once through the Internet shop’s plate-glass window. Teenagers inside scattered while the owner called authorities to tend to Kuladee, who was also playing an online game.

Owner Amornwat Rungratpan, 28, said his store did not have a security camera and that he had never had any trouble previously.

Police suspect revenge was a motivation for the shooting and pledged to hunt for the gunman. In the meantime, however, they fined Amornwat for allowing minors to continue paying online past a legal curfew.

 

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