Two Singaporean men arrested in Bangkok for drug and immigration violations, latest Singapore news

BANGKOK – Two Singaporean men were arrested in Thailand on suspicion of drug trafficking and possession, as well as charges including illegal entry into Thailand and illegal possession of firearms.

The duo were arrested in Bangkok after a police raid Wednesday targeting an illegal nightlife business in the capital’s entertainment district.

A press release from Police TV, the broadcasting arm of the Royal Thai Police, identified the two men as Ong Xiao Siong, 34, and Lo Jing An, 53.

A search of hotel accommodations in Bangkok’s Din Daeng district found a variety of drugs including methamphetamine, ecstasy pills, ketamine, cocaine and “happy water.” .

Various drug packaging supplies such as pouches and sealers, pistols and ammunition were also seized.

Deputy National Police Commander Chinnapat Sarasin said the two men were believed to have sold drugs to foreigners at several entertainment venues.

The two told authorities they had ordered drugs from Laos. The drugs were hidden in speaker cabinets and shipped to Thailand using a private shipping company. They collected the drugs from locations in the Hua Lamphong district, close to Bangkok’s Chinatown, and changed their accommodations frequently to avoid detection.

Officials said the man was also charged with illegally entering Thailand more than 20 years ago. They were turned over to the police’s Drug Enforcement Administration for further investigation and prosecution.

Police raids on Wednesday arrested more than 200 people, many of them Chinese nationals, according to local media reports.

The raids took place at several venues, one of which was a karaoke parlor disguised as a car wash, The Bangkok Post reported.

Of those arrested, about 100 tested positive for drugs. At least 300 of his packets of illegal drugs, such as ketamine and water of happiness, were also found during the raids.

Dozens of luxury cars were also seized.

Thai authorities have stepped up their crackdown on illegal drugs following the incident. October 6 mass murder It is located in the northeastern part of Nong Bua Lamphu.

A former police officer with a drug history raided a child care center in the state, shooting and killing 37 people. Many of them were children.

The incident, which shocked the public, put the debate on gun control and drug use back on the national agenda, prompting governments and opposition parties to move from tougher firearms laws to a new call for a war on drugs and also to mental health. .

Thailand is also a major transit point and destination for drugs flowing from the Myanmar-Laos border.

Over the years, the cross-border drug trade has gotten worse. In 2021, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime said he had seized 1 billion methamphetamine pills in the region.