Trapped Dealer Takes A Hostage After Drug Bust

October 16, 2012

More than 50 police officers blockaded a house with a drug dealer inside who was holding a police undercover agent as a hostage, after escaping a police sting operation. Police eventually talked the suspect into giving up peacefully. The suspect had been arrested many times on drug charges.

PATTAYA – October 15, 2012 [PDN]; at 8 p.m., police forces were dispatched to a house where a drug dealer had retreated with a hostage after a drug bust. Rushing to the scene were police officers and undercover plainclothes officers from the command unit of detection and investigation, section 2, headed by Pol. Col. Theeraphol Jindaluang, Deputy Commander; and Pol. Lt. Col. Samrit Khoonchit, Deputy Superintendent.

Arriving police surrounded and blockaded the house with the suspect and hostage inside. The old, 2-story wood house is located at 19/20 Soi Baanlarng 12, Moo 7 Tambon Nong Preu.

The suspect was identified as Mr. Jatuporn Srisuwan or Tua, age 31. His identity card lists his address as 50 Moo 4 Tambon Nong Preu, Amphur Banglamung, Chonburi province.

The events leading up to the hostage situation began when Mr. Jatuporn was set up in a police sting operation to buy drugs. An undercover police agent arranged to buy drugs from Mr. Jatuporn. But during the transaction, Mr. Jatuporn realized it was a police sting, so he fled the scene and left behind his girlfriend, “Ms. Taengmo” (alias), age 24, who was sitting in a bronze Honda Civic, license number KOR BOR-4368 Rayong.

Mr. Jatuporn ran away to escape in the house, and he also forced the undercover police agent to go inside the house with him. The suspect turned off the lights and locked the door of the house to prevent the police from going inside to arrest him. The police didn’t dare to go inside to help their captured police agent, because they were afraid that Mr. Jatuporn would have harmed the agent.

The police blockaded the house and tried to negotiate with the defendant to release his hostage and surrender himself, but Mr. Jatuporn didn’t consent to surrender. So the police asked for supporting backup forces of police for assistance, from the command unit of detection and investigation police, section 2, Banglamung police, Nong Preu branch.

More than 50 officers assisted to blockade the house, including the regular police officers as well as plainclothes policemen and volunteer police in the area, to pressure the defendant to surrender himself to the police.

Also arriving at the scene were Pol. Maj. Gen. Katcha Thartsart, Commander, Chonburi province; Pol. Col. Supphathee Boonkrong, Deputy Commander, Chonburi province; Pol. Col. Pisit Proyroongroj, Deputy Commander, Chonburi province; Pol. Lt. Col. Supphachat Peammanus, Deputy Superintendent, Banglamung police station; and the police of Banglamung police station, Nong Preu branch.

For more than 30 minutes, the police commanders negotiated with Mr. Jatuporn to give himself up peacefully and release his hostage. Finally Mr. Jatuporn shouted to the police that he will come out to surrender himself, but only if the police let his relative who lives next door to come inside to bring him out to surrender to the police. The police agreed, so Mr. Jatuporn later voluntarily surrendered, and no one was injured or died.

Mr. Jatuporn confessed that he is the agent of amphetamine dealer and he had already thrown away his supply of amphetamines into the canal and in the toilet in his house. Mr. Jatuporn claimed that he didn’t know how much amphetamines he had thrown away.

Mr. Jatuporn also claimed he was not guilty of kidnapping the police undercover agent because he didn’t have a gun, but he had escaped into the house with the police agent because he was afraid of being arrested.

The police seized the car of the suspect and restrained his girlfriend. They searched Mr. Jatuporn’s car and found some ya-ice, which they seized for evidence.

Pol. Maj. Gen. Katcha Thartsart said that Mr. Jatuporn belongs to a gang of drug dealers in area of Banglamung police station and Pattaya city, and he has been previously arrested many times on drug charges.

The police had made the plan to arrest him by letting the undercover agent arrange to purchase of 170 amphetamine pills, and made an appointment to deliver the amphetamine pills in front of his house.

But during delivering of amphetamines, Mr. Jatuporn realized it was a sting operation by the police, so he left his girlfriend in the car, and grabbed the police agent as his hostage and escaped in the house. So the police blockaded the house and negotiated with the suspect to surrender himself.

Although Mr. Jatuporn claimed that he didn’t have a gun and there was no amphetamines because he had thrown them away, the police can still prosecute the suspect because they found the ya-ice in his car.

The police commander ordered officers to search the suspect’s house for more drugs, and to investigate further to arrest the rest of the network of this gang of drug dealers to prosecute according to the law.