British brothers on run over drug charges arrested in Thailand
UK police had issued appeal for help to track down Joseph and Gregory Mulhare
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.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
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.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.”
-
Ryanair/SpaceX: could Musk really buy the airline?Talking Point Irish budget carrier has become embroiled in unlikely feud with the world’s wealthiest man
-
Claudette Colvin: teenage activist who paved the way for Rosa ParksIn The Spotlight Inspired by the example of 19th century abolitionists, 15-year-old Colvin refused to give up her seat on an Alabama bus
-
5 contentious cartoons about Donald Trump at DavosCartoons Artists take on weaponized tariffs, a cheeky offering, and more
-
Panama and Canada are negotiating over a crucial copper mineIn the Spotlight Panama is set to make a final decision on the mine this summer
-
Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
-
Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
-
US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military
-
How Bulgaria’s government fell amid mass protestsThe Explainer The country’s prime minister resigned as part of the fallout
-
Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal
-
Brazil’s Bolsonaro behind bars after appeals run outSpeed Read He will serve 27 years in prison
-
Americans traveling abroad face renewed criticism in the Trump eraThe Explainer Some of Trump’s behavior has Americans being questioned