Police arrest German suspect, 21, in undercover ketamine vape sting
Police arrested a German suspect in an undercover vape sting in Thailand.
Richard Seriker, 21, reportedly supplied the spiked vapes, known locally as 'Pod K', to youths in 'Sin City' Pattaya.
He was said to have sold the products through online transactions before authorities arranged a sting on August 26.
Undercover agents pretended to buy a Pod K for 1,500 baht and agreed to meet with the suspect in the Bang Lamung district of the notorious coastal city.
Richard then arrived to complete the sale but was detained by the plainclothes officers.
Footage shows cops restraining the half-naked alleged dealer. They hauled him back to his room, where a search found 10 Pod K devices, along with 10 more packaged in dark yellow packaging labelled ‘Mango'.
They also seized 0.02 ounces (0.51 grammes) of ketamine, seven used Pod K, two vaping devices, pipettes, and numerous other packaging tools.
Police Colonel Sarawut Nuchanart, superintendent of local station, said Richard lives with his mother after his German father divorced her many years ago.
The police chief said: ‘We charged him with sale and attempted sale of Category 2 narcotics, unlawful possession of Category 2 narcotics, and unlawful possession of Category 2 psychotropic substances.'
Police have been cracking down on the sale of Pod K - vape cartridges laced with powerful drugs like etomidate and ketamine - across the country.
In June, Chinese man Jianguo and his Thai partner Ratchanee were arrested for allegedly selling the banned products, which were mixed with the powerful horse tranquiliser, etomidate.
The substance is a medical anaesthetic that quickly sedates patients by slowing the central nervous system. It can cause shaking and intoxication, and is reportedly popular among drug users in China, ranking second after crystal meth, police said.
Vaping has been banned in Thailand since 2014, despite the products being easily purchased in the country.
Those caught vaping or even just possessing a vape could face a fine of up to 30,000 THB, imprisonment of up to five years, or both.
