Special Operations Squad deputy chief wanted for alleged extortion of drug suspect
An arrest warrant has been issued for the deputy chief of the Songkhla Provincial Administrative Special Operations Squad for allegedly demanding money or drugs from a drug suspect in exchange for his release.
Deputy chief Petty Officer First Class Pairat Kaewmanee and five Pitak Pairee Volunteer Defence Corps members took drug suspect Thanakorn Suwanchana out of police custody for a sting operation to catch Thanakorn’s gang members in Songkhla’s Rattaphum district on the night of October 18.
Pairat reported that at 7.45pm of October 18, the drug gang stopped one of his team’s cars to snatch Thanakorn but were unsuccessful as he was in a different vehicle. According to Pairat, the gang then hijacked the car, which was carrying five handguns and four mobile phones belonging to the volunteers, as well as 20,000 tablets of amphetamine.
However, Thanakorn later told officials that Pairat had contacted him via telephone and Line before the incident and demanded that his relatives bring 1 million baht in cash, 200,000 amphetamine tablets, or 10 kilos of methamphetamine in exchange for his release during the bogus sting operation.
Thanakorn handed the evidence of his phone and Line conversations with Pairat to investigators, which led to arrest warrants being issued for the deputy chief and the five volunteers. The volunteers were named as Chalermsak Thongjaeng, Phitsanu Rattana-Urai, Sutthiphong Suwanchatree, Lertrit Chaiyapreugkul, and Adisak Wangni.
Deputy national police chief Surachet Hakpan has flown to Songkhla and will hold a press conference about the case later on Tuesday.
