The initial arrest took place on Thursday (June 26) when officers from Wichit Police Station were conducting a routine traffic checkpoint along Mueang Chaofa Rd, near the border of Wichit Subdistrict and Kathu District.
Police stopped the man, named by police only as ‘Mr Thawatchai’, 31, from Nong Chik District in Pattani, who was riding a red Honda CBR 650 motorcycle.
A search revealed 100 ya bah pills stamped with ‘WY’ and 2.83 grammes of crystal methamphetamine (ya ice). Officers also seized his mobile phone and conducted a urine test, which returned positive for methamphetamine use.
Thawatchai was taken in for questioning, during which police obtained further information that led them to a house in Moo 3, Wichit.
There, officers arrested a man they named only as ‘Mr Sittinon’, 34, from Phang Nga. A search of the premises uncovered several small amounts of crystal meth totaling over four grammes, one ya bah pill, drug-taking equipment and a mobile phone. Sittinon also tested positive for methamphetamine use.
Both suspects were charged with possession of Category 1 narcotics and illegal drug use. Thawatchai also faces charges for driving under the influence of drugs, Wichit Police noted.
Wichit Police Chief Pol Col Somsak Thongkliang said the arrests resulted from proactive traffic enforcement efforts aimed at improving road safety and cracking down on illegal activities.
“We will continue to expand our investigation to identify and arrest key drug suppliers smuggling narcotics into Phuket and the Wichit area,” he said.
“We now have leads on larger networks and will present this information to the court to seek arrest warrants for the targets.”