POLICE broke up a foreign drug gang that has been selling narcotics to tourists on Koh Phangan for almost two years with turnover reaching over 71 million baht and are moving to revoke their visas and deport the suspects as well as permanently blacklist them, MNG Online said today (Dec. 20).
This major operation was mounted by the Immigration Bureau together with Surat Thani provincial police with Pol. Lt. Gen. Phanumas Boonnalak, head of Immigration Bureau, Pol. Maj. Gen. Songprote Sirisukha, head of Immigration Division 6, Mr. Noppadol Khaomali, Koh Phangan district chief, Pol. Col. Kridinithi Thongthip, deputy chief of Surat Thani provincial police along with other police officers announcing the details at a press conference.
Arrested was Mr. Federico Carlo Eugenio Pistolesi, 36, an Italian national, on the charges of possessing and distributing Ecstasy, a Category One drug, and Cocaine, a Category Two drug, plus money laundering.
Seized along with 24 items of evidence were a bank account with 6.6 million baht, over two rai land plot in the name of Pittayaland Co., Ltd. worth 8 million baht, a sedan with two other land plots likely held for him by nominees being investigated. In addition a real estate company of which Pistolesi is the director is also being checked.
Two other foreigners who were found to have purchased drugs from Pistolesi, namely Mr. Roman Malik Bertagnal, 37, a French national, and Mr. Anton Zaozerov, 39, a Russian national, were arrested after they were found in possession of cocaine and Psilocybin mushrooms, commonly known as magic mushrooms and popular among foreign tourists.
This case stemmed from the arrest of Mr. Peter Hull, a British national. on Mar. 1 this year on drug possession charges after which he was sentenced to five years and 11 months in jail.
Investigation had revealed that Hull had ordered drugs worth over 200,000 baht from Pistolesi over more than a year.
Pistolesi had also received cash transfers from several other foreigners living on Koh Samui and Koh Phangan with the turnover from drug dealings reaching over 71 million baht.
The police team also revealed that Zaozerov had set up a company named Pure House Phangan Co., Ltd to provide cleaning services for villas, residences, gardens and swimming pools for foreigners with a Thai shareholder as a nominee to conceal drug dealings.
This company has a registered capital of 4 million baht and has an unusual structure with Thais holding 100% of the shares and Zaozerov and his Russian wife being directors. It was found that a Thai national, Ms. Mina (surname withheld, held shares on Zaozerov’s behalf but the other shareholders were not acting as nominees. Charges have been filed against Mina.
In another development, Koh Samui Immigration police also arrested Mr. Purevsuren Erkhes, 33, a Mongolian national found hiding on this island, for whom an Interpol Red Notice had been issued on charges of illegally running an online gambling app and he is going to be deported for prosecution in his homeland.
CAPTIONS:
Top, Front Page and insert: Foreign drug suspects being arrested. Top photo: MNG Online, inserted photo: TV Channel 7.
Insert: Senior police officers giving details of a major drug bust on Koh Phangan. Photo: MNG Online
Also read: Big lot of meth pills laced with sodium cyanide seized at border
Spanish actor’s son jailed for life for grisly island murder
Wa rebels not pulling out from high terrains in Thai territory
Anon gets 2 years and 8 months in another Section 112 case
Thaksin accused of buying his way to power, privilege
