Eight arrested as police storm suspected drug dens in Thai 'Sin City' Pattaya
Eight alleged drug offenders were arrested as police stormed suspected drug dens in Thailand.
Officers raided multiple locations in the Thai 'Sin City' Pattaya following complaints from residents about suspicious activity believed to be linked to drugs.
They swept through target sites across the party resort allegedly used to store or use the banned substances.
One of the main targets was a house in Nong Prue, where officers arrested three people, including Kung, 41, who was allegedly found with five grammes of crystal methamphetamine and 20 methamphetamine pills.
Sorn, 42, was allegedly caught with one gramme of crystal methamphetamine, while Bin, 24, was arrested after police reportedly recovered 300 methamphetamine pills and 25 grammes of crystal methamphetamine.
Police also swept through a nearby community, arresting three more suspects on alleged drug-related offences, before detaining another two people at separate target locations for allegedly using and possessing illegal drugs.
All eight suspects will face legal proceedings before undergoing screening for possible admission into drug rehabilitation programmes.
Authorities also seized assets believed to have been acquired through the drug trade and identified drug users for referral to rehabilitation programmes.
Sarawut Phakdee, director of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) Region 2, said they received intel through the narcotics hotline before raiding the six locations in Pattaya City, Bang Lamung and Nong Prue.
He added: 'We will continue implementing the government's comprehensive policy to address the drug problem under the motto: 'Relieving Suffering, Promoting Well-being, Protecting Peace and Order, Combating Drugs, and Conquering Criminals.'
'This includes suppressing drug trafficking networks alongside rehabilitation for drug users, while providing the public with opportunities to report information through the ONCB hotline 1386, so that together, we can create drug-free communities and sustainably enhance social safety.'
Thailand has become a notorious hub for drug production and trafficking. In the north of the country, the ‘Golden Triangle' area shares borders with Laos and Myanmar, and has produced large amounts of opium since the 1950s but focus in recent years has shifted to the more profitable methamphetamine.
Officials believe most of the meth is produced in the Shan State of Myanmar before being distributed through neighbouring countries where prices are higher before ending up in the most expensive markets of Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore.
However, cracking down on drug production has been complicated by the influx of crime gangs from China and the Burmese civil war, which has seen the army take over the country - along with control of lucrative drugs chains.
