Pattaya, Thailand:
Pattaya police arrested a 27-year-old man early Wednesday and seized a small quantity of ketamine and a mobile phone during a late-night drug sweep near a condominium on Thepprasit Road.
Officers from the Pattaya City Police Station investigation unit moved in at about 3 a.m. on October 7th, 2026, at the entrance to the Supalai Mare Pattaya condominium in Moo 12. The operation was conducted under the direction of senior Chonburi provincial police commanders, including Pol. Maj. Gen. Chatree Suksiri, provincial police commander, and Pattaya City station chief Pol. Col. Anek Sathongyu.
The suspect was identified as Yutthachai, also known as Tae, 27, from Phitsanulok province. Police said he was detained as part of a targeted search on a local drug network.
Officers seized two clear zip-lock bags containing cloudy white crystalline ketamine with a combined weight of about 1.6 grams, including the packaging, and a purple Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max with a SIM card. Investigators said the phone was used to arrange drug transactions.
He was initially charged with possessing a Category 2 psychotropic substance, ketamine, for sale without authorization in a commercial context, and with attempting to sell the same substance without permission. He and the seized items were handed over to investigators at Pattaya City Police Station for further legal action and to trace possible upstream suppliers.
Ketamine is classified in Thailand as a Category 2 psychotropic substance. Unauthorized possession for sale can carry substantial penalties under the Narcotics Code. Police said the arrest was part of ongoing night-time enforcement intended to disrupt street-level distribution in residential and tourist areas of Pattaya.
Chonburi Provincial Police said similar operations would continue.