Moroccan overstayer among five arrested in Patong drug crackdown

Patong police arrested five suspects, including a 27-year-old Moroccan woman charged with cocaine possession and overstaying her permission to remain in Thailand, during drug raids carried out on Saturday, July 4.

The arrests were made under “Operation 90 Days”, a drug suppression campaign launched by the Patong Police investigation team under the direction of Acting Patong Police Superintendent Pol Col Korakrit Khantakrue. Police said all five suspects were handed over to investigators at Patong Police Station for legal proceedings.

Police identified the first suspect only as “Mr Na”. He was arrested in a parking area on Khao 50 Pi Rd, where officers seized about 1.03 grammes of crystal meth, also known as ya ice, and two methamphetamine pills, or ya bah. He was charged with possession of Category 1 narcotics with intent to sell and illegal drug use.

The second suspect, “Mr Nat”, was arrested on the roadside opposite a hotel on Na Nai Rd after officers allegedly found 0.44 grammes of crystal meth in his possession. He was charged with illegal possession of a Category 1 narcotic and drug use.

A third suspect, “Mr Dit”, was arrested in a room on the fourth floor of an abandoned building in Soi Ban Kamnan off Ratchapathanusorn Rd. Police said they seized about 1.95 grammes of crystal meth. He faces charges of illegal possession of a Category 1 narcotic and drug use, though police did not provide the remainder of the charge description in their report.

In a fourth case, a 47-year-old Thai woman identified only as “Ms Wan” was arrested at Patong Police Station and charged with illegal consumption of methamphetamine.

The fifth arrest involved “Fatima”, a Moroccan national. Police said she was apprehended in a room on Phra Metta Rd, where officers seized two packets of cocaine weighing about 0.83 grammes and 0.55 grammes, including the packaging. She was charged with illegal possession of a Category 2 narcotic, cocaine, and overstaying her permission to remain in Thailand.

Police said the arrests form part of the Royal Thai Police’s nationwide “Operation 90 Days” campaign targeting drug trafficking and related offences.