Bangkok —
At 10:00 AM on October 2nd, 2024, officers from Bangkok’s Metropolitan Police Division 9 announced the arrest of three suspects and the seizure of 5.9 million methamphetamine pills and 190 kilograms of crystal meth.
The suspects, publicly identified as Mr. Nolthavat Wongliang, 29, and Mr. Watcharin Chanthibodi, 46, from Nakhon Si Thammarat, along with Mr. Sutthiphong Sampaokaew, 31, from Roi Et, were apprehended at a pool villa in Bangkok’s Bang Khen District. Seized along with the drugs were a Hyundai van, a Toyota sedan, and a pickup truck.
Authorities revealed that the arrest followed a tip-off about a major drug trafficking network smuggling narcotics from a neighboring country. The Chumphon Police had warned that the suspects were storing the drugs in Bangkok’s outskirts, waiting for distribution.
On the night of September 29th, officers tracked three suspicious vehicles arriving at the resort, where the suspects rented a pool villa and a standard room. After observing the group overnight, police moved in at dawn and reportedly found the suspects packing the drugs into cardboard boxes.
One of the suspects, Sutthiphong, reportedly panicked and tried to escape by climbing over the resort’s wall but injured his leg when he broke a bathroom sink. He was later sent to the Police General Hospital for treatment, according to the officers.
The other two suspects claimed they were merely hired to transport the drugs for a small fee and said Sutthiphong booked the rooms. Police confirmed that some of the suspects had criminal records, including theft.
The Bang Khen Police Station is coordinating the investigation, and further efforts are underway to identify the mastermind behind the operation.
This article originally appeared on our sister website The Pattaya News.
