PHUKET: Two armed men in a kratom leaf drugs network arrested onWednesday planned to kill each other if given the chance, police said yesterday.
Officers nabbed Sompob Nuanjan, 30, who worked in the laundry at Patong Hospital, outside Le Meridien about 8pm that night and found him armed with a home-made thai pradit gun and three bullets.
Prasit Patjapon, 34, was taken into custody near the Golden View Village with a .32 pistol, 35 bullets and a stash of nine kilos of kratom leaves.
Sompob told police he bought the kratom in Surathani at a rate of 100 leaves for 300 baht, and sold it on Phuket at 200 baht for every 10 leaves.
He had been turning his sideline business into a nice little earner for three months.
The two men had fallen out and argued, threatening to kill each other, because Sompob was slow to deliver the last lot of leaves.
Officers nabbed Sompob Nuanjan, 30, who worked in the laundry at Patong Hospital, outside Le Meridien about 8pm that night and found him armed with a home-made thai pradit gun and three bullets.
Prasit Patjapon, 34, was taken into custody near the Golden View Village with a .32 pistol, 35 bullets and a stash of nine kilos of kratom leaves.
Sompob told police he bought the kratom in Surathani at a rate of 100 leaves for 300 baht, and sold it on Phuket at 200 baht for every 10 leaves.
He had been turning his sideline business into a nice little earner for three months.
The two men had fallen out and argued, threatening to kill each other, because Sompob was slow to deliver the last lot of leaves.
Classic case of traditional herb being criminalized leading to a black market. Even ten years ago Kratom grew in many households Phuket wide and there wasn't a black market.
The crack down and cutting down of kratom trees has created and enormous blackmarket and people turning to harder drugs because kratom has become harder to find.
Prohibition never works, it never has worked. Things like Marijuana and Kratom should be legalized and taxed like alcohol. Harder drugs like 'ice' and heroin should have harsh penalties so people stick to softer drugs.
You'll never stop people using these things. Regulate it and let people profit from it legally is a better way.
Posted by Arun Muruga on October 31, 2014 08:53