Three local Thai residents (a man and two women) and a Filipino non-resident worker were arrested on Tuesday for various drug offences, and a total of 2.81 grammes of ice with an estimated street value of about 9,000 patacas were seized, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Leng Kam Lon said at a special press conference yesterday.
The four suspects comprise three local residents who are Thai nationals – a 51-year-old jobless man surnamed Ob-Amphai, a 48-year-old woman who works as a cleaner surnamed Puncharoen, a 51-year-old jobless woman surnamed Suriyasorn, and a 29-year-old Filipino gardener surnamed Lariosa.
According to Leng, the Judiciary Police received a tipoff about a week ago that a local man had booked a hotel guestroom in the city centre for a long time for “guests” to take drugs there. PJ officers identified the suspect and arrested Ob-Amphai in the hotel lobby on Tuesday evening. The officers did not find any narcotics on him, after which they took him to the guestroom to investigate further. In the smoke-filled room the police caught two women taking drugs there. A total of 0.53 grammes of ice and drug-taking paraphernalia were seized.
Leng said PJ officers gathered information provided by the Thais and arrested Lariosa near Estrada do Repouso later that day and seized two packets of ice weighing a total of 2.28 grammes and some drug packaging tools such as a digital scale at his home. Under questioning, the three Thais admitted to taking drugs Ob-Amphai told the police that he had purchased ice for 2,300 patacas from Lariosa who admitted to taking drugs and selling ice to Ob-Amphai. However, he refused to tell the police where he bought the drugs. The four suspects tested positive for ice.
The quartet were transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) yesterday, facing charges for a range of drug-related offences, according to Leng.
The four drug suspects are being escorted by Judiciary Police (PJ) officers from the PJ headquarters to a PJ vehicle yesterday.
Evidence seized from the drug suspects such as drugs, six smartphones, a quantity of drug-taking paraphernalia and two digital scales is displayed at the Judiciary Police (PJ) headquarters yesterday.
