Gang of 20 Armed Men Foil Police Sting Operation

According to police sources, about 20 armed individuals overpowered 6 narcotics enforcement officers whose sting operation began smoothly but concluded with their abduction and the loss of their seized drugs.

On Monday night, 6 narcotics enforcement officers enticed a drug suspect, Mr. Thanakorn Suwanchana, 35, of Chiang Rai province, into selling ten packs of methamphetamine in a sting operation in the Ratthaphum district of Songkhla in southern Thailand.

The suspect was apprehended and told to order eight kilograms of crystal meth from his supplier, Dam, a man from Southern Thailand’s Satun province.

According to police sources, they planned to receive the crystal meth in Rattaphum district’s tambon Kamphaeng Phet on Tuesday night.

The officials travelled to the new site in two vehicles: five in a compact car and one in the pickup truck of the arrested suspect.

Two pickup trucks and two automobiles arrived at the meeting spot and surrounded the narcotics enforcement officer’s car.

About 20 men stepped out of the trucks, one with an M-16 assault rifle and the rest with handguns. They demanded that the officers remove their shirts and hand up their weapons.

The assailants pretended to be police officers from the Rattaphum police station and forced the narcotics enforcement officers into the back of one of their trucks.

They were released about 500 meters up the road.

The armed men fled the scene, taking the narcotics enforcement officers’ vehicle. The vehicle contained ten packages of meth pills, handguns, and smartphones.

The police imposters could not liberate Mr. Thanakorn, the original suspect, because he was in the second vehicle, which escaped when the thugs surrounded the small car.

Local police were seeking the whereabouts of 20 armed men.

Police arrest burglar with 10 million baht in loot

Meanwhile, police have recovered 10 million baht of stolen property after detaining a suspected burglar at a condominium in Samut Prakan.

48-year-old Bualuang Wangkhiri was apprehended in his rented condominium in Soi Udomsuk.

The Samut Prakan Court has issued a warrant for his arrest for a series of thefts.

The stolen items discovered in his chamber included 40 baht worth of gold bullion, luxury watches, gold necklaces, jewellery, and around 10 million baht worth of outdated cash.

Also discovered in his possession were handwritten notes containing extensive information about alleged burglary targets, as well as maps of their locations. The homes included those of government and law enforcement personnel. One was of a former Royal Thai Police chief.

The theft had previously earned Bualuang a prison sentence. While serving his sentence, he allegedly received specific information on the target homes from fellow inmates who had worked at those locations.

Police stated that burgled individuals might check the seized items at the Bang Kaew police station and possibly identify and claim them.