In the heart of Jomtien, a shadowy nook of Pattaya where the sun struggles to hit the ground for all the shady dealings going on, local police have just had a jaw-dropping encounter. During a crackdown on narcotics, officers were taken aback when their bulletproof vests couldn’t protect them against a shocking sight—a 13-year-old boy, knee-deep in drug dealing alongside a seasoned meth merchant known only as Krathin.
The surprise party took place on June 3, when the Chon Buri Provincial Police stormed Jomtien Soi 2. Their leading lady in handcuffs was none other than 39-year-old Bang-on, who goes by Krathin—her name as infamous locally as spicy som tam. Despite having more arrests under her belt than an average tuk tuk ride has stops, Krathin was undaunted, caught yet again with 78 meth pills and a small crystal goblet of 0.75 grams of methamphetamine. But the story took a gasp-inducing twist when a nearby teenager gave up his stash of seven meth pills and nearly 3 grams of “ice.” Just a kid, really, but already wrapped up in a world no child should know.
As detectives peeled back the layers of this criminal onion, they found an abandoned and severed Electronic Monitoring (EM) tag—a silent witness to Krathin’s fresh shenanigans, one she’d cast aside like yesterday’s news. Her nonchalance about re-offending was staggering. “I’ve been arrested so many times, I’m practically on a first-name basis with the bars,” she reportedly quipped.
This bust comes amid efforts to scrub clean this part of town—a part where dealers are rumored to peddle openly as if in a marketplace. Stunned locals, mobile phones raised as impromptu cameras, have handed over footage capturing this audacious trade, evidence that police plan to use to turn the screws on the vice grip holding Jomtien hostage.
For Pattaya, the city’s turbulent undercurrent has long had a date with destiny, as it rides a gauntlet of anti-drug initiatives that verge on the epic. Earlier this year, an army of over 500 officers from Pattaya City police, Chon Buri Immigration, and allied forces launched a Gladiator-esque assault on the underbelly—a campaign as bold as it is sweeping.
As revellers and residents stood by, jaws agape, this surprise operation combed through the notorious dens of Pattaya’s darkest corners. Their mission clear: no stone left unturned, no party unraided in their quest to reclaim the city and erase the dark stains of crime.
The echoes of this recent arrest continue to reverberate throughout Thailand, sending shockwaves about the ever-younger faces falling prey to its magnetism. With renewed vigor, the campaign pushes on, determined to free Jomtien from the grips of this unsightly underworld nightmare. Meanwhile, in Thailand’s ever dynamic theater of events, police and city guardians have their eyes fixated on the horizon—where a future safer and brighter for all could be waiting, if only they can rid the streets of their shadowy adversaries.
Such a battle for purity is a gripping drama unto itself—a testament to how deeply this city yearns for redemption, and how, bit by bit, dark clouds give way to brighter days, one arrest at a time.
I can’t believe a 13-year-old is involved in this! What are the parents doing?
Maybe his parents are involved or completely unaware due to work commitments. The city can be a demanding place.
I find it hard to swallow that a parent could not notice. It’s tragically negligent.
The problem is systemic, and poverty could drive a lot of these kids into such lives.
Krathin is like a cat with nine lives. Why is she even out on the streets still?
Honestly, reforming the legal and correctional system should be the priority!
Isn’t the whole justice system in Thailand just a revolving door for these criminals?
Exactly, these light sentencing and bail deals contribute to the recidivism.
If it’s so flawed, what’s the point of even arresting them?
Sadly, this is a universal problem with no quick fix.
There’s blame to go around at every level, including government failure to properly combat drug problems.
I wonder if the corrupt officials benefit from keeping things as they are.
These leaders need harsher sentences to set examples!
Yes, but can society find a balance between punishment and rehabilitation?
Tough to find that balance when teenagers are becoming mules for these crooks.
The city should invest more in community centers to keep these kids occupied positively.
This revelation is not just a local issue, it’s indicative of the global drug trade.
But shouldn’t local communities start by cleaning their own backyards?
Wow, it’s like a real-life narco series but way scarier because it’s real.
Exactly! What if this is only the tip of the iceberg?
It’s impressive how these ‘raids’ occur all the time, yet the problem never goes away. Makes you wonder!
Pattaya has always had the dark underbelly of crime. This is just more evidence of it.
So sad that it’s getting business as usual, almost expected in some areas.
If expectations don’t change, neither will the results.
An ‘army of over 500 officers’ sounds like a scene from a movie. How do they not manage to keep the place under control?
A ‘scene from a movie’ sums up the dramatics pretty well!
Probably because these operations lack coordination and focus.
Would love to see more focus on rehabilitating people like the teenager caught in this mess.
It’s crazy to think about these places peddling drugs openly! How sad that it’s so blatant.
Blatant crimes sadly point to undercover complicity, probably stretched budgets or sheer audacity.