Cocaine bust leads to dealer arrests

Two Thai women and a Nigerian man have been arrested in an investigation into a cocaine-dealing gang, police said yesterday.

The suspects were identified as Pongrak Naen-udon, 37, Sataporn Otominum, 26, and James Chaikodi Ankerstime, 36.

They were arrested and charged with possession of a Type 2 narcotic, deputy Tourist Police chief Surachate Hakparn said.

Ms Pongrak was arrested first in a car park on Pradit Manutham Road in Bangkok’s Bang Kapi district of Bangkok while in possession of some cocaine, Pol Maj Gen Surachate said.

She named Ms Sataporn as the person who supplied her the drug, so police ordered more from Ms Sataporn in a sting operation, Pol Maj Gen Surachate said.

Police subsequently arrested Ms Sataporn and the Nigerian suspect when they turned up with 636 grammes of cocaine to sell, he said.

The suspects told investigators they would often deceive customers, mostly clubbers, by mixing a small amount of cocaine with chalk powder, which they turned into tablets for distribution.

Police are looking for another suspect, another Nigerian national, who according to those arrested, is the boss, Pol Maj Gen Surachate said.

Meanwhile, police have arrested a suspect identified only as Je Cherry for allegedly procuring child prostitutes in Bangkok Noi district, according to Pol Maj Gen Surachet.

The suspect was caught taking a 15-yearold to a customer to a hotel on Arun Amarin Road, he said.

Prior to her arrest, police had learned she had procured prostitutes on numerous occasions, he said.

In another criminal case, the Patrol and Special Operation Division said that it had seized two cars with licence plates belonging to other vehicles.

One car was a BMW X6 seized in the southern province of Surat Thani, while the other was an Audi Q7 seized in the northeastern province of Udon Thani.