An Australian national wanted on drugs charges in his home country has been arrested in Phuket. The Phuket Express reports that the man was detained after the Thai authorities were contacted by Australian police.
Police in Australia are currently pursuing a number of suspects wanted for drugs and weapons offences who have managed to flee Australia and ‘hide’ in Thailand. The arrested man has been named in the Thai media as Robert Wainwright.
The Australian has been staying in the kingdom on an education visa but was not attending any educational establishment or taking any classes. Mr Wainwright was arrested at a luxury villa in Rawai where he was living with his unnamed Australian girlfriend.
It’s understood the suspect kept a very low profile, with his girlfriend handling all visa-related documents and running errands. According to the Pattaya News report, Wainwright regularly changed address to avoid detection and rarely left his home.
He was arrested on Thursday, August 10, when police tracked him down to the Rawai villa, and taken to the Phuket Immigration office. Officers have not revealed how they located the Australian.
Wainwright is expected to be sent back to the authorities in Australia but it’s not known if his girlfriend will be charged for her role in aiding and abetting a suspect.
SOURCE: The Pattaya News
