Chief of Chon Buri Police, Pol Maj-General Nanthachart Supamongkol told reporters that Noi Nilthet, 40, was arrested near his rented house in Tambon Borwin. Police had been monitoring the suspect for a while after learning that he had been pushing drugs in the neighbourhood.

When the suspect was spotting in Moo 2 village in Tambon Borwin, police stopped him for a search and found 200 meth pills in his pockets. The suspect said his boss, Surat Srirungruang, had sent him a message on Line app to deliver the pills.

Police later searched the suspect’s car parked outside a rented house and found more drugs, including 400 grams of ketamine and 100 ecstasy pills. Police also seized a .38-calibre revolver found in his car.

Statistics show that seizures of crystal methamphetamines have surged more than 10-fold in Thailand over the past two years.