Bangkok Post – Drug trafficker arrested in southern Thailand with assault rifle, speed pills

On By Online Niel

PUBLISHED: December 8, 2024 at 3:14 p.m

Suspected drug dealer Pairat is seen at the Thung Song police station in Thailand's Nakhon Si Thammarat province, where an assault rifle, bullets and speed pills were seized from him. (Photo: Nujaree Rakrun)

Suspected drug dealer Pairat is seen at the Thung Song police station in Thailand’s Nakhon Si Thammarat province, where an assault rifle, bullets and speed pills were seized from him. (Photo: Nujaree Rakrun)

NAKHON SI THAMMARAT: A 39-year-old man was arrested in Thung Song district of this southern Thai province with an assault rifle, 95 bullets and 111 speed pills. Police believe the man is a major drug dealer.

Lt Col Jaratchote Boonplong, head of investigations at Thung Song Police Station, said the suspect, identified only as Pairat, was arrested at a rented house in Tambon Pak Phraek on Saturday night.

There police found an M16 assault rifle, 95 5.56mm bullets, 111 methamphetamine pills and three cell phones.

Lt. Col Jaratchote said the man had been in the illegal drug business for a long time. Detectives suspected him of selling speed pills in Nakhon Si Thammarat and Surat Thani, his home province.

The suspect was quoted as saying that he usually ordered 20,000 speed pills at a time for resale.

Police were checking the source of the assault rifle and bullets and were looking for other suspected drug dealers in the same network as Mr Pairat.