Bang lamung: Police conducted a sting operation and arrested a monk in his temple cell along with the drugs.
According to Thai News Agency, Bang Lamung police used an undercover agent to buy ketamine from a monk at a well-known temple in the Na Kluea area before raiding his living quarters and arresting him along with the drugs.
Last night, investigative officers from Bang Lamung Police Station, along with undercover officers, arrested a monk from a temple in the Na Kluea area after an undercover agent conducted a drug sting operation. After the agent met with the monk and received the drugs, he signaled for the officers to proceed. The officers then identified themselves and apprehended the monk, later identified as Luang Phi Mos, or Mr. Veerapat, along with Mr. Theerapong, a temple attendant.
A search yielded approximately 0.87 grams of crystalline ketamine in a plastic bag, approximately 0.64 grams of cloudy white crystalline ketamine in another plastic bag, and 300 baht in cash used in the sting operation, which was transferred from the undercover agent's account. This operation stemmed from complaints by local residents about suspicious activity within the temple, including allegations of a monk selling drugs and using a temple attendant to deliver them to customers.
The officers then investigated and gathered information before planning the sting operation. The police used an Instagram account named "Heng Suay" to contact Luang Phi Moss, who used the name "Veerapat Moss," and agreed on the purchase of ketamine for 300 baht. The undercover agent transferred the money, and after receiving the payment, Luang Phi Moss arranged for the agent to pick up the drugs at his monastic cell located next to the pavilion within the temple grounds. This led to the arrest. Initially, the police detained those involved and seized the evidence, and handed them over to the investigating officers at Pattaya City Police Station for further legal proceedings.