THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2018
thephuketnews thephuketnews1 thephuketnews.com Friday, November 30 – Thursday, December 6, 2018
Since 2011 / Volume VIII / No. 48
CHILD PORN RING BUSTED, RAIDS HIT PATONG > PAGE 3
BATTLE LINES
20 Baht
NEWS
PAGE 3
Aussie, 29, fakes robbery claim
LIFE
WAR ON DRUGS TAKES A HIT AS DEALERS FLOOD ISLAND
PAGE 11
Zen and the art of Freediving
Soldiers at the Phuket Check Point at Tha Chatchai inspect a driver and his car for drugs. Photo: Tanyaluk Sakoot
Tavee Adam reporter1@classactmedia.co.th
P
huket is facing its worst state in the fight against drugs with more drugs on the island than ever before and on average 23 people arrested for drugs every day since the start of the year. Somporn Sripanrod, the Ministry of Health official tasked with the Phuket Provincial Narcotics
Control Management Center (PhuketPNCMC), described the scale of the problem simply: “Right now we are seizing more drugs than ever before.” At a PNCMC meeting in October, presided over by Phuket Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana and with Phuket Vice Governor Supoj Rotreuang Na Nongkhai present, it was revealed that more than 7,000 arrests had been made for drugs from Jan 1 through Sept 30 this year alone, giv-
ing an average of 23 people arrested each day. Although there are areas where some types of drugs are more prevalent than others, Mr Somporn notes that the problem is islandwide. “Different types of drugs are found in all three districts across the island, though young people are more likely to be found with kratom and ya bah (methamphetamine in pill form),” he said.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
@thephuketnews
To Vice Governor Supoj, the issue is simple: “The arrest statistics confirm that the number is increasing.” V/Gov Supoj believes that the explosion in drug use is due to dealers and key distributors slashing prices to make them more attractive to potential users, hence luring more and more everyday people to buy their product. “This is especially true with ya bah and ya ice (crystal meth),” V/Gov Supoj recently told an anti-narcotics...
SPORT
PAGE 32
Ready to retain WCGC golf titles