Thai, Iranian men force two Vietnamese into van at gunpoint in Phuket

By Phan Anh February 24, 2025 | 06:46 pm PT

Police officers question suspects who allegedly extorted money from two Vietnamese men in Phuket, Thailand, Feb. 22, 2025. Photo courtesy of Phuket police

Three men, including two Thai nationals and an Iranian, were arrested in Phuket for allegedly extorting two Vietnamese men at gunpoint.

Phuket police on Monday said officers received a report that the suspects had forced two Vietnamese men, identified as 40-year-old Van Trung Phan and 21-year-old Quang Minh Nguyen, into a van at gunpoint in the early hours last Saturday, The Phuket News reported.

Police located the suspects and the Vietnamese men inside the van parked at a hotel on Khaw Sim Bee Street. Officers then seized three guns and took the men into custody. The Vietnamese men were released, the Bangkok Post reported.

Initial investigations indicated that the Vietnamese men were involved in cannabis trade, Phuket police chief Pratuang Pholamana said in a formal report about the incident.

The Vietnamese and their captors had a business relationship. However, the captors last Friday allegedly requested the Vietnamese to transfer them 350,000 baht ($10,446). The Vietnamese later negotiated to reduce the demand to 150,000 baht.

The transfer was supposed to take place in front of the Khao Rang Place hotel, but the police intervened.