Thai police have arrested three foreigners and two Thais on charges of narcotics possession and selling drugs to tourists in the southern resort island of Samui, the drugs agency said Sunday. Working with the US Drug Enforcement Agency, Thai police on Friday arrested 38-year-old Iranian national Shahriar Zarghamzade, who the Narcotics Suppression Bureau named a key figure in the drug dealing operation. He was charged with conspiring to commit unspecified drug offences. A 30-year-old Thai woman was arrested at his Samui home at the same time and charged with assisting a suspect.Two others were detained in the same operation: a man holding Iranian and Turkish passports, who was found with a small amount of heroin, and a 34-year-old Briton, who had a small bag of cocaine.They were both charged with possession.
Meanwhile, a 36-year-old Thai man was arrested elsewhere in Samui with bags of cocaine. He was charged with drug dealing and owning an unlicensed firearm.
'Drug dealing in famous tourist spots like Samui or Phangagn islands has damaged the economy and the country's image, as well as having a social impact,' the Narcotics Suppression Bureau said in a statement.Police gave no further details of the operation or the DEA's involvement, saying only that several bank accounts were frozen, and cash in many currencies and other valuables were seized during the swoop.
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