Pattaya police seized 66 kilograms of marijuana, crystal methamphetamine and piles of cash when they smashed a major drug network stretching from Pattaya to Saraburi.
A series of arrests announced Aug. 3 showed how the dominoes fell once the initial arrest of Wuthisak Kumthaisong, 18, and Anuchart Phura, 52, at a restaurant on Soi Buakhao.
Pattaya police were tipped that the eatery was a major hub for ganja sales and undercover officers went there to buy a brick of grass for 1,000 baht. After they slapped on the cuffs, the uncovered 10 kilograms of reefer, plus nearly 40 grams of crystal meth and 277,220 baht in cash.
The suspects folded like a house of cards under interrogation and agreed to set up a buy with their alleged supplier, Wirat Kiatpitya, 53. He fell right into the trap with another 10 kg. of marijuana and police took his car and valuables worth more than 2.3 million baht.
He them ratted out his alleged Saraburi suppliers, Somkid Chotisadee, 49, Payao Namdokmai, 58, and Sithichai Sangkerdsukh, 41. Police traveling there confiscated 66 kg. of grass and property worth 1.3 million baht.
Police said Somkid runs a resort in Nakhon Phanom, but the business has suffered amid the coronavirus pandemic so he turned to selling drugs, ordering the marijuana from Laos at 2,500 baht a kilogram, which he then marks up to 4,000 baht.
Police said the international nature of the drug trafficking means a minimum four years in prison or more if convicted.
