Three Russian men were arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle marijuana out of the country.
Georgy Nyushkov, 28, Aleksei Druzhinin, 30, and Aleksei Samokhin were arrested March 22 and charged with illegal possession of a Class 5 narcotic and trying to illegally export drugs through the postal system from Pattaya.
Customs officials at Suvarnabhumi International Airport found 20 parcels containing about 10 kilograms of marijuana and sent them to Pattaya police for investigation of the senders, who were in the city. Some parcels also were sent from the Maptaput Post Office.
Police bring out for the press the 5 accused drug dealers.
Nyushkov and Druzhinin were apprehended at a house on Soi Bongkot. Police searched the house and found about 2 kg. more marijuana and along with marijuana plants in their bedrooms.
The investigation then led to the arrest of Samokhin for possession of 12. 2 grams of marijuana.
Police said all the suspects confessed they have been growing marijuana for a year and selling to customers in Russia for the past four months for 100,000 baht a kilogram.
They made sales through social media, placing the dried ganja in a chrysanthemum tea package and sending it together with other Thai herbs to kill the smell. Customers paid in Bitcoin to Druzhinin’s account.
The investigation later led to another two arrests: Kawjai Tumaporn, 43, who allegedly sold the marijuana plants to the three suspects, and Kanokprom Wongsin, 28, who Kawjai allegedly bought the plants from.
The two accused plant sellers were charged with possession of a Class 5 narcotic.
