IN A sting operation Tourist Police together with local administration officials and a team from Koh Phangan police station arrested an Israeli man who runs a restaurant on the popular tourist island as a front for trafficking drugs and seized over 50 million baht of a variety of narcotics, Naewna newspaper said today (Feb. 14).
Acting on the orders of Tourist Police Commander Lt. Gen.Saksira Puek-am to crack down on crime during Valentines Day and Chinese New Year holidays, the police team targeted a large drug trafficking gang on the island that sold narcotics via WhatsApp messaging application with this leading to the arrest of Mr. Shai Alfasi, 42, an Israel national who is the owner of a restaurant on Hin Kong Beach with police saying he is a major drug dealer selling drugs to Israeli tourists on the island.
In the sting operation police contacted the suspect to purchase 2 grammes of Ketamine for 6,000 baht via WhatsApp with the communication being in Hebrew. A drop off method was arranged for the transaction with the drug to be hidden in a black sock at the agreed location and payment placed there. When the suspect rode up on a big bike and took out the money from the same sock, the police immediately arrested him.
A large quantity of drugs was also seized including 3kg of cocaine, 3kg of Ketamine, 3.5kg of MDMA powder and 262 MDMA tablets, 1,778 grammes of LSD, 15 grammes of heroin, 58 grammes of psilocybin mushrooms, and 4 more Ecstasy pills. The estimated value of the seized drugs is over 50 million baht.
Initially police have charged him with commercially trafficking Categories 1, 2, and 5 narcotics and distributing them, as well as illegal drug use. He was taken into custody and handed over to investigators at Koh Phangan police station for further legal proceedings while investigation of this big drug network continues.
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This and Front Page – The Israeli suspect Mr. Shai Alfasi upon being arrested. Photos – Naewna
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