British brothers on run over drug charges arrested in Thailand

Thai immigration officers have arrested two brothers wanted by Merseyside Police in relation to drug trafficking offences, following a weeks-long search for the pair.

Joseph and Gregory Mulhare, aged 43 and 38 respectively, fled to Thailand on 2 November, where they moved between hotels and resorts in a bid to remain under the radar.

The pair, from the Wirral, are believed to be a part of a larger drug trafficking gang, and are suspected of trafficking cocaine, amphetamines, ecstasy, MDMA and cannabis in the UK, reports the BBC.

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Following a request from the British Embassy, officers from the North West Regional Crime Unit issued a public appeal last week for any information that might help catch the Mulhares.

According to the Bangkok Post, Thai immigration and crime suppression police began monitoring the brothers after learning that they were regulars visitors to a bar in Pattaya. They were traced to a hotel in the Khao Pratumnak area of the popular resort city, on the east coast.

The duo then paid a woman 2,000 baht (£47) to transport them into another hotel in Bangkok. From there, in an apparent effort to throw police off the trail, they hired various taxi to take them first to the airport, then to another hotel, and finally to a resort in Chonburi province, where they checked into a hotel last weekend.

But despite their stratagems, police stormed their room in the hourly hours of the following morning.

The brothers are currently being held in the Chonburi Immigration Office, pending deportation back to the UK to face charges.

In a statement reported by the Wirral Globe, the UK Foreign Office said: “We are providing assistance to two British men following their arrest and detention in Thailand.”