Surat Thani – An Italian man was arrested on Samui Island after he allegedly sold cocaine and illegally operated a rental motorbike shop with 70 motorbikes using a Thai nominee to disguise his ownership.

Surat Immigration told the Phuket Express on Tuesday (June 18th) that they arrested a suspect identified only as Mr. Mattio, 39, an Italian national, on the Lamai Beach Road in the Maret sub-district, Samui district.

The arrest came after Surat Thani Immigration was notified from concerned citizens that an Italian man was selling cocaine to tourists at bars and nightclubs on the Samui Island. Surat Thani Immigration then conducted a sting operation in which they agreed to buy 25 grams of cocaine from Mr. Mattio for 2,500 baht per gram, costing in total 62,500 baht.

 

The two sides agreed to meet at a bar near the Lamai Beach to conduct the transaction. Mr. Mattio met with the undercover officer in the back of the bar but Mr. Mattio tried to escape on a motorbike when he realized that his customer was actually law enforcement. However, Mr. Mattio was blocked from escaping by other police and Immigration officials and arrested nearby. Seized from him were 31 grams of cocaine.

 

By Goongnang Suksawat

 

Full story: THE PHUKET EXPRESS 2024-06-20

 

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2 hours ago, webfact said:

he allegedly sold cocaine and illegally operated a rental motorbike shop with 70 motorbikes using a Thai nominee to disguise his ownership.

Isn't that how most businesses operate?

Foreigner outs up the money, business in a Thai name?

Surely he must have thought it a bit odd that someone asked for that much . Will he get done for just selling it or will he get done for selling so much as the amount was basically decided by the police .

Wonder why he didn't find it odd a Thai wanted that much from him instead of getting it from a Thai person.

Obviously not sharpest tool in the box and off for a long stay in jail.

25 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Isn't that how most businesses operate?

Foreigner outs up the money, business in a Thai name?

Most businesses along Lamai main rd would be Thai nominees companies …quick arrest them all!

Did he get the coke from the cops?

When will these idiot foreigners wake up,  do not sell or push drugs in Thailand.  You may get away with it once or twice but in the end you'll get caught. 

 

Penalties are severe compared to  western countries. 

 

Your Thai friend will dump you in it sooner than you think, if they feel they are missing out on a slice of the pie.  Trust isn't a big deal to them. 

 

The risks are great yet people think they know how to beat the system. Dumb arses.

OMG, those Italian Mafiosi are hitting the headlines in Thailand once again? 

Maybe police use farang for undercover sting job so as not to arouse the drug pusher’s suspicion  . Didn’t that foreign guy in udon Thani recently mentioned he worked for samui police before?maybe in entrapment job. 

Selling price 62,500 baht for 25 grams of Coke stretched with baking powder. Expected profit maybe 20-30K. For a possible profit of 600-800 Euros, he risks 8-15 years in Thai prison. How can someone be so completely stupid.

A Thai man has just inherited a motorbike rental shop with 70 bikes,

unless the Police take them as proceeds of selling drugs ......

 

regards Worgeordie

 

9 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

A Thai man has just inherited a motorbike rental shop with 70 bikes,

unless the Police take them as proceeds of selling drugs ......

 

regards Worgeordie

 

 

A small initial (or monthly) donation would likely ensure that the proceeds will not be taken from him.

On 6/20/2024 at 5:58 AM, hotchilli said:

On 6/20/2024 at 3:24 AM, webfact said:

he allegedly sold cocaine and illegally operated a rental motorbike shop with 70 motorbikes using a Thai nominee to disguise his ownership.

Isn't that how most businesses operate?

Foreigner outs up the money, business in a Thai name?

Well that's how the illegal businesses such as this Eyetie's, operate, in which the foreigner operates the business and the nominee Thai has nothing to do with the running of it.

16 hours ago, Ctkong said:

Didn’t that foreign guy in udon Thani recently mentioned he worked for samui police before?

He said that he worked with the Immigration police and, as the IB confirmed it publicly, for his own well-being it is not very likely that he was involved in setting up criminals.

1 hour ago, tomacht8 said:

Selling price 62,500 baht for 25 grams of Coke stretched with baking powder. Expected profit maybe 20-30K. For a possible profit of 600-800 Euros, he risks 8-15 years in Thai prison. How can someone be so completely stupid.

His profits were obviously much more than EUR800 as this was not a one-off deal, it had financed his 70-bike rental business which were seized along with more than eight million baht in money generated from what police say were illegal transactions

29 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

A Thai man has just inherited a motorbike rental shop with 70 bikes,

unless the Police take them as proceeds of selling drugs ......

"Police seized 70 motorbikes from the shop and seized eight bank books with more than eight million baht in money generated from what police say were illegal transactions in those bank accounts. Police also seized 1,095,000-baht in cash from Mr. Mattio".

5 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

"Police seized 70 motorbikes from the shop and seized eight bank books with more than eight million baht in money generated from what police say were illegal transactions in those bank accounts. Police also seized 1,095,000-baht in cash from Mr. Mattio".

To read that you have to click on the link to The Phucket Express , I don't like doing that ,

why can they not give the full story instead of using Clickbait..... but it gives you a lot of

opportunity to to correct posters ,thanks Lou

 

regards Worgeordie

5 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

To read that you have to click on the link to The Phucket Express , I don't like doing that ,

why can they not give the full story instead of using Clickbait..... but it gives you a lot of

opportunity to to correct posters ,thanks Lou

 

regards Worgeordie

The story is copyright of The Phuket Express and there are rules when using other peoples copyright.

The standard is the first three paragraphs followed by a link.

 

 

6 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

17 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

"Police seized 70 motorbikes from the shop and seized eight bank books with more than eight million baht in money generated from what police say were illegal transactions in those bank accounts. Police also seized 1,095,000-baht in cash from Mr. Mattio".

To read that you have to click on the link to The Phucket Express , I don't like doing that ,

So why bother speculating on the outcome, then, if you don't want to bother reading the article?

On 6/20/2024 at 3:24 AM, webfact said:

concerned citizens

 

Or rival dealers???  🤔

Every day another idiot foreigner getting involved in the drug trade in Thailand... I just don't understand the risk/reward that goes on in these people's minds, also the bike rental company was likely just to wash the money, would like to know if the Thai nominee knew that or not.

On 6/21/2024 at 4:44 PM, Liverpool Lou said:

"Police seized 70 motorbikes from the shop and seized eight bank books with more than eight million baht in money generated from what police say were illegal transactions in those bank accounts. Police also seized 1,095,000-baht in cash from Mr. Mattio".

Isn't it great that the police can just immediately seize bank accounts with million of baht in them, and lots of property without any court order, guilty verdict or judge ruling.

 

"They are ours now."

On 6/20/2024 at 5:58 AM, hotchilli said:

Isn't that how most businesses operate?

Foreigner outs up the money, business in a Thai name?

No, in this case he was not on the company books at all as a shareholder, in the case you describe both are shareholders and then also paying some taxes normally.