Former Karate Champion Arrested With 2 Million Speed Pills
A 19-year-old former national karate champion was arrested on Asia Route 41 after a 20-kilometer chase with 2 million methamphetamine tablets hidden in his vehicle.
On July 18, Pol. Col. Phakphol Suchol, Pol. Lt. Prinyaa Rakkhaeow, and Pol. Lt. Tula Sawangratana arrested 19-year-old Siriraj (surname withheld) along with 2 million methamphetamine tablets, two mobile phones, a white Honda Accord (Bangkok license plate Khor 5739), and 50,000 baht in cash. Officers spotted the vehicle on Asia Route 41 in Baan Nadoem subdistrict lacking a rear license plate and signaled it to stop. The driver accelerated and fled, leading to a 20-kilometer chase that ended when the car ran out of fuel near Tha Sathon. The suspect attempted to flee on foot but was apprehended.
Police recovered five plastic bags containing methamphetamine hidden in the vehicle's trunk and three more inside the passenger compartment, totaling 2 million pills. During interrogation, Siriraj admitted joining the drug operation at age 15. This run saw him hired to deliver the car laden with drugs from the Southern Seaboard area to an undisclosed destination for 50,000 baht, but he was intercepted before receiving final directions. He recently completed grade 12 at a school in Thungsong district, Nakhon Si Thammarat, and was formerly a decorated karate athlete with national-level gold medals who did not pursue further education.
Investigators booked him on charges of trafficking Class 1 drugs (methamphetamine) for commercial distribution, operating a vehicle while under the influence of Class 1 substances, and drug consumption. Police are pursuing the network of accomplices involved.
