The Central Investigation Bureau apprehended a major British drug dealer at a Phuket restaurant yesterday after he escaped a life imprisonment sentence in the UK and fled to Thailand to enjoy a luxurious lifestyle.
The arrest followed a request for assistance from the UK’s National Crime Agency, which asked Thai authorities to apprehend the 28-year-old fugitive, Ben, believed to have been hiding in Thailand since 2022.
Upon further investigation, CIB officers found that Ben had taken up residence in Phuket, living in a high-end condominium and a pool villa near Rawai Beach in the Mueang district. He had shifted his career from drug dealing to professional boxing.
While in Phuket, Ben adopted the alias Billy and competed in several boxing matches.
Authorities located him and made the arrest on September 2 at a restaurant in the Rawai area. He was then transported to Bangkok for further legal proceedings and potential extradition to the UK. Despite his arrest, Ben refuted all charges against him.
British legal authorities have indicted him on several counts, including the distribution of class A (cocaine) and class B (ketamine) drugs, and the handling of assets from illicit activities, with a potential life sentence.
In a related case in March, Chiang Mai police detained an Englishman, Charly Garcia, for distributing drugs to foreigners in the area, dealing in substances such as cocaine, ketamine, magic mushrooms, LSD, and MDMA.
That same month, Phuket authorities arrested another British citizen, Stephen Mullady, who was found with cocaine and crystal meth. Despite testing positive for methamphetamine, also known as Yaba, Mullady faced charges.
Additionally, in May, another British man was arrested at Phuket International Airport for possessing cocaine concealed inside his passport upon his arrival.
The individual, 29-year-old Englishman Jamie Louise Swain, expressed shock and frustration at his own carelessness, which led to his capture.
