Koh Phangan District Administration, along with Tourist Police, raided to arrest a British man evading a court warrant in Koh Samui Province for drug-related offenses, who was hiding while begging for money to buy drugs on Koh Phangan Island today (April 18). Mr. Nopadol Khawmali, the Koh Phangan District Chief, revealed that on April 17, the Koh Phangan District, together with Pol. Lt. Col. Winij Boonchet, Superintendent of Tourist Police Station 5, Samui, led a team to apprehend Mr. Nicholas James Hartas, a 47-year-old British national, at the front of Phanthip Market, Moo 1, Koh Phangan Subdistrict, Koh Phangan District, Surat Thani Province. They then detained the suspect along with evidence to hand over to the investigation officers at Koh Phangan Police Station for further legal proceedings.
After receiving complaints from the public about foreigners begging and engaging in drug-related activities, authorities conducted an inspection and found Mr. Nicholas James Hartas wearing black shorts, without a shirt, holding a sign written in red magic marker asking for money for food. Upon checking his background, it was discovered that this British man had a warrant issued by the Koh Samui Provincial Court on April 10, 2567 (2014). Initially, the British man admitted to being the person wanted according to the aforementioned arrest warrant and had fled Koh Samui to reside on Koh Phangan, where he was secretly begging for money to buy food. However, reports indicated that once he received money from begging, he would use it to secretly buy drugs for consumption.
The arresting officers then took him for questioning and detained him, informing him of the charges of “Illegal begging by a foreigner” and “Possession of Category 1 drugs, methamphetamine – ya ba, unlawfully.” They then handed him over to the investigation officers at Koh Phangan Police Station to proceed with legal action.
