Saksit Suwadit (seated center) is brought in for
questioning after police nailed him in a sting operation.
Boonlua Chatree
Thailand Department of Special Investigations officers
broke up an alleged ring of drug dealers responsible for smuggling
methamphetamines into Chonburi Central Prison.
Three people were arrested in a trio of sting operations
July 29. Like dominos, each arrest knocked over the operation of even larger
alleged dealers.
The operation began with a tip that a woman would be
dropping off a shipment of drugs in the Chonburi prison’s parking lot. DSI
officers set up a buy, then swept in when the trade went down, arresting
Rasa Saetan, 29. On her, they allegedly found 4.3 g. of crystal meth and
subsequent searches of two Pattaya apartments uncovered 104 ya ba tablets
and 30,770 baht in cash.
Police claim Rasa confessed to being a dealer, saying she
got the drugs from Patumpa Unsri, 30, on Soi Nong Hin. With her assistance,
police set up a second sting operation, arresting Patumpa and seizing 13 g.
of ya ice and 28 ya ba pills.
DSI investigators said Patumpa confessed she bought the
drugs from Saksit Suwadit, 33, of Surasak. Officers then set up another
sting operation with the Sriracha man, this time at the Pattaya Remand
Prison.
Police captured Saksit and recovered 483 ya ba tablets
and 18.5 g. of ya ice from his van. At Saksit’s home, DSI officials said
they found a 9 mm pistol, 52 bullets, 15,280 baht in cash and a motorbike.
Investigators claim Saksit confessed, saying he was working for his
brother Chaiyaporn Suwadit, 30, an inmate at Chonburi Central Prison. The
brother allegedly ordered drugs by phone and arranged a place for them to be
picked up and smuggled into the jail.
