Thai Police Drug Bust Nets Iranian, Briton And 30 Others

[george]

Police bust Samui coke gang

KOH SAMUI: -- Police have busted a drug ring supplying cocaine and designer drugs to tourists on Koh Samui.

The ring is headed by an Iranian and local and foreign accomplices.

A 100-strong police operation yesterday arrested gang members on the island.

US agents help

Working with United States' drug agents, police searched 13 locations on the island used by the ring, says Narcotics Suppression Bureau commander Lt-General Wut Liptapanlop.

They nabbed 38-year-old Iranian Ramin "Richy" Ahmani, also known as Shahriar Zarghamzade, the suspected ringleader.

Also arrested was a British citizen, identified as Lee Campbell Bimty, 34.

Wut says police seized cash in various currencies as well as bank passbooks in the names of Ahmani and his accomplices.

The Anti-Money Laun-dering Office will seek the assets of the gang.

Wealthy dealer

Police say Ahmani bought cocaine, Ecstasy and other drugs from Ghanaian and Nigerian nationals to sell to tourists on Samui and Pha-ngan islands.

He is said to be a wealthy man, owning a yacht, cars, a night-entertainment venue and several gift shops.

The US anti-drugs agency asked Thailand to watch the man because he's suspected of long-time narcotics trafficking between Asia and the Americas.

Wut says police continue to crackdown on crime on the holiday islands.

The Tourism Authority is promoting them as drug-free destinations.

-- The Nation 2008-07-03

Thai Police and US DEA drug bust nets Iranian, Brit and 30 others on Koh Samui

Drug bust in paradise

KOH SAMUI: -- Police have broken up a multi-million-baht drug peddling ring supplying high-priced imported drugs to tourists on Koh Samui, and arrested 30 people in the sweep, an anti-drug officer said on Saturday.

Pol Col Ithipol Kitsuwansay said the ring was supplying cocaine and Ecstasy to night-clubbers on Samui.

Thai anti-drug officers and US agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration worked together to make the arrests on Friday night, said Pol Col Ithipol.

The suspected ring leader, an Iranian, was among those detained. Police identified him as Shahriar Zarghamzade, 38, alias Ramin Ahmani. He was believed to have settled in Thailand in 1979 after fleeing the Shiite revolution.

Police also seized about 100 million baht in assets owned by the Iranian. They included a yacht, several gift shops and a pub on the island, he said.

Also arrested were several Africans, two Turks and a British citizen.

Pol Col Ithipol told reporters that the right brought up to 10 kilogrammes of cocaine with a street value of 35 million baht from Latin America each month, shipping it through Bangkok to Samui.

It was then sold at parties frequented by tourists, he said.

-- Bangkok Post 2008-08-03

[Stevethongsala]

Why they don't it make the same thing on KPN?

[angiud]

What they can do, catch themselves??

[Stevethongsala]

What they can do, catch themselves??

Why not?

Today It's the festival of frog

[Heng]

Should have quit while he was ahead and concentrated on legal businesses like a "fitness group" and animal shelter.

[zepplin]

What they can do, catch themselves??

YEAH THAT WOULD MAKE THE WORLD HEADLINES THAI POLICE CHIEF ADMITS HE IS GUILTY OF SUPPLYING DRUGS,EXTORSION-BLACKMAIL,MAYBE MORE WOULD FOLLOW A GOOD EXAMPLE ,BUT I GUESS THEY WOULD THEN BRIBE THEIR WAY OUT AND NEVER GO TO JAIL..NOTHING GAINED THEN

[Tony Clifton]

What they can do, catch themselves??

YEAH THAT WOULD MAKE THE WORLD HEADLINES THAI POLICE CHIEF ADMITS HE IS GUILTY OF SUPPLYING DRUGS,EXTORSION-BLACKMAIL,MAYBE MORE WOULD FOLLOW A GOOD EXAMPLE ,BUT I GUESS THEY WOULD THEN BRIBE THEIR WAY OUT AND NEVER GO TO JAIL..NOTHING GAINED THEN

¸Quit screaming, lay off the capital letters.

[NanLaew]

^^ Hey Tony! Maybe that's Loud Zepplin!!!???

[PoorSucker]

Wut says police continue to crackdown on crime on the holiday islands.

The Tourism Authority is promoting them as drug-free destinations.

I have always thought the full moon party on Koh Phangan was a tea party.

[Payboy]

What they can do, catch themselves??

YEAH THAT WOULD MAKE THE WORLD HEADLINES THAI POLICE CHIEF ADMITS HE IS GUILTY OF SUPPLYING DRUGS,EXTORSION-BLACKMAIL,MAYBE MORE WOULD FOLLOW A GOOD EXAMPLE ,BUT I GUESS THEY WOULD THEN BRIBE THEIR WAY OUT AND NEVER GO TO JAIL..NOTHING GAINED THEN

[BusyBee123]

it wont change much but i'm glad something is being done, i had a bad experience with two guys coked up to the eyeballs in Lamai earlier in the year

[Scott]

I am glad they got these people off the streets.

I have trouble understanding how these foreign gangs manage to operate so easily.

[sniffdog]

That's what you get with a nickname like 'Richy' ... glad my nickname is 'Kee Nok' ....

[frankman]

They should clean out haad rin and all the parties as well. But it's not going to happend. But it would be good to get all these "chemodealer" that make our peace stressfull 'OFF' KPG to Bngkok-Hilton, or even better Suratthani.

[angiud]

Yeah, clean up Haad Rin, stop the parties, and then bust all the dirty cops, and after ... maybe backpackers.

What wrong with Haad Rin? And the parties. You are free to go or don't go to the parties. But I don't think the problem is Haad Rin or raves.

Now 95% of the drug market is handled by thai, most of time protected or in partnership with the BIB. And the problem is everywhere: TNP, Chaloklum, Srithanu, Thong Sala, Bantai, Haad Rin.

[marcus]

What wrong with Haad Rin? And the parties. You are free to go or don't go to the parties. But I don't think the problem is Haad Rin or raves.

Absolutely nothing, just a big problem with security.

A couple of months ago one of my guest came back from the full moon... only dressed in a towel !

He was attacked by some guys (Thai this time), they knocked him unconscious, and when he woke up, he was completely naked ! Another tourist gave him a towel, and a fisherman brought him back to Samui for 5000 K.

Of course he first visited the police. Do you think they helped him ?

[geriatrickid]

Interesting "gang". Foreign suppliers, "foreign" snake head and not a local implicated.

Makes it very easy to throw the book at them and confiscate assets.

I'm sure these guys would have puttered right along had they not gotten over confident and greedy and exported to the USA. I wonder how much the US DEA investigation cost and whether or not there will be assets in the USA to seize to cover the costs.

No doubt this event comes at the right time for the local dealers. Now they can increase their market share and hike prices. Everyone profits..........

[Johpa]

Interesting "gang". Foreign suppliers, "foreign" snake head and not a local implicated.

Makes it very easy to throw the book at them and confiscate assets.

I'm sure these guys would have puttered right along had they not gotten over confident and greedy and exported to the USA. I wonder how much the US DEA investigation cost and whether or not there will be assets in the USA to seize to cover the costs.

No doubt this event comes at the right time for the local dealers. Now they can increase their market share and hike prices. Everyone profits..........

The MIB have long franchised out the local drug distribution in the hard core Farang ghettos, like the southern tourist islands, to foreigners. It is so much more civilized to receive your payments without having to get your own hands dirty. Besides, Thailand has a very long history of hiring foreigners to collect local taxes, once known as tax farming. That the US DEA had a grudge against this Iranian, perhaps because he was Iranian, and had his ring arrested is not going to stop a profitable business. A replacement will be quickly found and little will change.

[NALAK]

the Brit was the manager at the Ark Bar so plenty of customers easily available. nice bloke suprised he got in so deep

[tracer]

the Brit was the manager at the Ark Bar so plenty of customers easily available. nice bloke suprised he got in so deep

Again as my prevous post disappeared...

Bimty: real name as Google doesnt seem to know it!!

[jietjon]

the Brit was the manager at the Ark Bar so plenty of customers easily available. nice bloke suprised he got in so deep

Again as my prevous post disappeared...

Bimty: real name as Google doesnt seem to know it!!

Plz dont imply ppls names without facts, good night all.

[Robski]

The report says that they seized 100 million Baht of this guys assets,

but not that they seized any of the "10 kilogrammes of cocaine with a street value of 35 million baht from Latin America each month"

So no evidence then...

Edited August 3, 2008 by Robski

[SamuiBond]

Thinking about the size of the island contra amounts of the drugs just sounds mind bugling... 10kg cocaine per month! HC by any measure. This has to stop. It seems drug imports are doing nothing good for local business. Remember the good old days like casual cash sex - it used to keep business afloat....

[meatgrowler]

Oh dear....off to the big tiger...

[meatgrowler]

[ding]

So the ringleader came to Thailand when he was 9 years old? I'd say HE didn't flee the Siite revolution, but maybe his parents did.

[ourmaninbangers]

I am glad they got these people off the streets.

I have trouble understanding how these foreign gangs manage to operate so easily.

supply and demand..

it will never end, and the bast majority of drug dealers never spend any time in jail

and if they do, buy themselves out very quickly

and despite what many think, its actually very hard to make a good, legal case against such people

drugs is a ' victimless" crime- the way most cops get a lead on them is through informers, who, by the

very nature of them will lie to say anything

one can buy and sell drugs in a way that its almost impossible for the cops to make a case that sticks

there are actually books on how to do it.. see loompanics books, and other undergrond books printed in US

set up false a/c

leave drugs

somewhere

deposit money, etc

its quite easy

I think more emphasis should be placed upon the users, who hopefully can be persuded not to get hooked

[Boater]

the Brit was the manager at the Ark Bar so plenty of customers easily available. nice bloke suprised he got in so deep

the one with the yellow porche?

[Smithson]

the Brit was the manager at the Ark Bar so plenty of customers easily available. nice bloke suprised he got in so deep

the one with the yellow porche?

Keeping a low profile?

[Robski]

But where is the evidence?