PHUKET —
In a multi-agency operation off the coast of Phuket, Thai authorities have intercepted a large-scale drug trafficking attempt, seizing over 500 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine and arresting three suspects. A fourth suspect, identified as the boat captain, died after jumping into the sea in an attempt to evade capture.
The Phuket Marine Police told the Phuket Express that the operation took place recently and was led jointly by the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB), Marine Police Division, Royal Thai Navy, and the Thai Maritime Enforcement Command Center (Thai-MECC), culminated in the search of a Thai passenger vessel named Elixir, docked at Ao Chalong Pier on the Andaman coast.
Inside a concealed compartment beneath the vessel’s hull, officers discovered 502 kilograms of crystal meth and 600 grams of ketamine. The drugs were packed in vacuum-sealed bags and hidden in empty tea packages — a method commonly used by transnational trafficking syndicates.
Authorities revealed that the Elixir had departed Ranong province earlier this month to rendezvous with a long-tail boat near Myanmar’s Koh Song island. The boat, operated by two Myanmar nationals, delivered 40 sacks of crystal meth, estimated to weigh around one ton. The Elixir then sailed to Satun waters, intending to transfer the drugs, but the handoff failed.
The vessel returned to Phuket, where two additional men boarded with packaging equipment and empty tea bags. Over three days, the group repackaged half the shipment for delivery via speedboat in Satun. The remaining half was reportedly intended for Indonesia, but poor weather forced the vessel to remain docked at Ao Chalong.
The arrest operation took place at 10:00 AM, with officers detaining three suspects onboard. The fourth man, the boat’s captain, leapt into the sea during the raid and was later found deceased. Divers successfully recovered his mobile phone, which is expected to serve as key evidence in the investigation.
Following the arrests, authorities expanded the operation to three properties in Ranong province linked to the suspects, seizing assets worth approximately 5 million baht.
All three surviving suspects and the seized narcotics have been transferred to the Crime Suppression Division for further legal proceedings.
