PHUKET — A suspected drug trafficker was shot dead by police on Wednesday after he opened fire during a raid, killing a narcotics suppression officer in a third-floor apartment in Phuket’s Wichit sub-district.

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The operation began after investigators arrested a suspect carrying two packets of drugs linked to a larger network. Police moved on an apartment in Soi Yai Chan, where they initially detained three individuals—two men and a woman. However, a fourth suspect barricaded himself inside a bathroom.

When officers forced entry, the man fired a sawn-off shotgun, striking Pol Sub-Lt. Prajak Thaharnthai, deputy inspector of the Phuket provincial narcotics suppression unit, in the chest. He was rushed to Vachira Phuket Hospital but succumbed to his injuries. Police returned fire, killing the gunman at the scene.

Forensic teams, public prosecutors, and district officials conducted a thorough examination of the apartment. The building’s owner’s son, Mr. Chaiwat, 52, stated the suspects had rented the unit less than five days earlier and refused to provide identification. Witnesses reported hearing four to five gunshots during the confrontation.

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The three detained suspects are under interrogation as police expand the investigation into the drug network. The incident underscores the dangers faced by narcotics officers in tackling organized crime in tourist-heavy regions like Phuket.

-Thailand News (TN)