The Region 2 Police which covers Chonburi province, led by Lt. Col. Dulyaphat Techaporn, raided a home on Soi Khao Talo last night, arresting a German man and Thai transgender woman for alleged possession and intent to sell crystal methamphetamine.
Arrested was Claus “Mike” Haberstroh, 59, of German Nationality, and Phanatchai “Po Po” Nuchit, 29, a transgender Thai national. They are accused of alleged possession and intent to sell crystal methamphetamine. According to Lt. Col. Dulyaphat, “ice”, a form of crystal meth, in the amount of 39.16 grams, and 2 mobile phones were seized from the two suspects.
Lt. Col. Dulyaphat explained to The Pattaya News that the arrest came after information was attained that the couple were allegedly selling drugs to customers in the Pattaya area. After further investigation, a sting operation was set up to purchase a number of said drugs in which an undercover cop reportedly received payment for the drugs from Mr. Claus’s bank account and then arranged to meet him at his home. Upon verifying the methamphetamine was present and real the undercover agent signaled the Region 2 Police to raid the home.
Lt. Col. Dulyaphat said that Claus is a former user who became a dealer and had become involved in a romantic relationship with Phanatchai who he had met at an entertainment venue previously. They moved in with each other and began selling drugs to supplement their income. Dulyaphat also stated that they working on the network that had allegedly provided the drugs to the couple and had several solid leads in the area.
Both Claus and Phanatchai are facing charges of distributing Class One illegal drugs (ice) and possession of Class One illegal drugs (ice). 300,000 baht reportedly attained through illegal drug sales was also seized in accordance with the sanctions act. Both suspects remain in custody as of press time and it is unknown if they have a lawyer or how they plead to the allegations at this time.
German man and Thai transgender woman arrested in Pattaya for alleged dealing of crystal methamphetamine - The Pattaya News