Briton,44 Busted in Chiang Mai For Dealing Drugs Over Telegram App

Police in northern Thailand’s Chiang Mai province arrested a British student on suspicion of selling cocaine and ecstasy, according to local media. According to police, Mr. Charly Garcia, 48, was allegedly using Telegram to distribute illegal drugs .

According to police reports, an undercover police officer planned a meeting Garcia in a cannabis shop on March 12 to purchase cocaine, ketamine, magic mushrooms, LSD, and ecstasy for US$3,000. After Garcia received the cash, Chiang Mai police raided the room and arrested him.

Chiang Mai police then escorted him to his room at Mountain View Condominium where they allegedly discovered 408 grams of cocaine, 595 grams of magic mushrooms, and 160 Diazepam and Alprazolam pills.

According to Thai media, Garcia was then paraded in front of the drugs haul for photographs before being questioned at the Chiang Mai Police Station.

According to Police Major General Thawatchai Pongwiwattanachai, commander of the Chiang Mai Provincial Police, Garcia admitted to distributing cocaine that he claimed he purchased from another tourist for US$22,000.

He stated, Garcia claimed it was his first time selling narcotics, but they didn’t trust him because their investigation proved he has a history of doing so in Bangkok.

General Thawatchai said he entered Thailand on a student visa, which officers suspect was a deception to allow him to remain in the country and sell drugs. He did not study language as he should have. He exclusively studied pharmaceuticals.

Police are looking into it further because he was recalcitrant and refused to reveal the passcode for his phone, he said.

‘We plan to investigate the Telegram app to discover his drug network and take legal action against his suppliers and customers.’

Garcia has been charged with possessing drugs with the intent to supply.

Garcia is the third British visitor detained for alleged drug peddling in recent weeks, all of whom are now facing hefty sentences in the country’s renowned prisons.

Last week Mr Andrew Brett, 36, a British backpacker and new father, was apprehended on Koh Tao island on February 29 for allegedly trafficking cocaine and LSD. He was charged under Thailand’s Narcotics Act.

Another Briton man, Peter Hull,44, was arrested at his home on Koh Samui island on March 1st, after neighbours reported him to police. A raid on his room allegedly yielded cocaine and ecstasy. Police say he may face a lengthy prison sentence or deportation.

The arrests came as part of a broader crackdown on foreigners acting badly in Thailand. The crackdown began earlier this month with the arrest of Swiss businessman Urs Beat Fehr, 45, for kicking a Thai doctor sitting on his seaside garden steps in Phuket.

Officers in that region alone have arrested at least 40 foreigners in recent days, and ministers have warned ‘guests in the country’ to obey local rules.

On Sunday, 2 New Zealand men were arrested after hurting a local traffic cop and attempting to steal his pistol on Saturday evening, according to authorities.

Pol Sen Sgt Maj Somsak Noo-iad, a traffic policeman from Chalong station, ordered a stop on Hamish Day, 36, and Oscar Day, 38, on Chaofa (East) Road in tambon Chalong of Muang district because they were riding motorcycles too fast in a community zone.

They refused to stop and instead sped away, forcing Pol Sen Sgt Maj Somsak followed them. The foreigners eventually came to a halt, but not before a shouting match. The officer used his phone to record their actions.

The two men then interrupted the recording and attacked the officer, knocking him to the ground and attempting to take his pistol. During the fight, the handgun fired once, but the bullet did not strike anyone.

Other officers from the Chalong station raced to the scene and arrested both New Zealanders. They were eventually charged with robbery, obstruction of police duty, physical assault on a police officer, driving without a licence, and bribery.

Pol Col Ekarat Plaiduang, chief of Chalong station, stated on Sunday that both New Zealanders were arrested at the station and would be transferred to the Phuket Provincial Court on Monday, when a request to extend their custody would be filed.

The station chief stated that after being caught, both guys proposed a bribe, which Pol Sen Sgt Maj Somsak declined.

The traffic cop was injured in the fingers and arms, but was treated and released from the hospital. He would be praised and rewarded for his efforts. Pol Col Ekarat said it was the first time guests had attacked police at Chalong station.

Northern Thailand’s Chiang Mai Struggles to Combat Wildfires

Northern Thailand’s Chiang Mai Struggles to Combat Wildfires