PATTAYA – Police have taken four British nationals into custody for intensive questioning in a high-profile case involving the theft of a safe from a British man. All four suspects, reportedly British, have denied involvement so far. They also claim they don’t know each other, but investigators say the evidence points in another direction.
The case began when three masked men dressed in black forced their way into a home in Nong Prue, Bang Lamung district, Chonburi. The attackers held a knife to the throat of a 32-year-old British man, Wesley Cyril Russell, a chef who works overseas, while his Thai wife was also present.
After that, the group went upstairs to the second-floor bedroom. They removed a safe from inside a wardrobe, carried it out, and loaded it into a black four-door pickup truck before fleeing. Police say the safe contained more than 2 million baht in cash. The robbery happened late at night on February 26, 2026.
Police believe the robbery was planned
On February 28, 2026, investigators from the Pattaya Nong Prue Police Station, Provincial Police Region 2, Chonburi Provincial Police, Chonburi Immigration, and Tourist Police increased their search efforts and tracked leads in the area.
Police believe the suspects targeted the victim on purpose because they knew he had recently withdrawn 2 million baht in cash and planned to use it to buy a house. Authorities also suspect the perpetrators may share the same nationality and may have met at a cannabis shop in Pattaya.
Investigators reviewed CCTV footage along the escape route and found signs of a planned getaway using three vehicles.
First, a black Ford four-door pickup truck was seen entering the area near Soi Wat Boon Samphan (Khao Noi), where the robbery occurred. After the crime, the truck drove along the railway-side road.
Police say the victim’s mobile phone was later thrown away near the Nong Krabok alley area. The truck then exited onto Sukhumvit Road and turned toward the Wat Boonyakanaram and Jomtien area.
Next, CCTV footage showed the suspects switching from the black pickup to a white SUV. The SUV drove to an apartment building inside Soi Boonyakanaram 5 at about 10:57 p.m., roughly 8 to 9 kilometers from the crime scene.
The vehicle stayed there for around five minutes and then left. Police believe the suspects went inside to open the safe and split the cash.
Later, at about 11:33 p.m. that same night, another suspected vehicle appeared. A Ford four-door pickup truck arrived, picked up the group, and headed out on Sukhumvit Road toward Chonburi. Investigators say using several vehicles appears to be a deliberate attempt to confuse officers and avoid capture.
Four British suspects detained in Pattaya
By early evening, police teams from Nong Prue Police Station, Region 2 investigators, Chonburi provincial investigators, and immigration officers had detained four suspects in connection with the case. Authorities said all four are British nationals, including three Black men and one White man.
One suspect, identified as Christopher, 38, was brought in for questioning at Nong Prue Police Station. Officers detained him at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Samut Prakan while he was preparing to leave Thailand. Reports indicate his intended route involved traveling toward Padang Besar, Malaysia.
Two other suspects remain under immigration police supervision, although officials have not confirmed where they were detained. A fourth suspect was taken into custody at a hotel in Prakhon Chai district, Buriram. Police transported all suspects to Nong Prue Police Station for separate interviews.
Despite the denials, police say CCTV shows the safe being opened and money being divided inside a sixth-floor room of an apartment in the Wat Boonyakanaram area of Jomtien, Nong Prue, Bang Lamung, Chonburi.
Investigators also believe the suspects took the safe key during the home invasion, which allowed them to open it quickly. Police are now gathering evidence to request arrest warrants from the Pattaya Provincial Court. Officials said Region 2 Police Commander Lt. Gen. Chatchai Surachetpong is expected to provide more details in a formal briefing.
