Liverpool-supporting Thai police arrested a Newcastle fan for drug dealing, parading him in his shirt after their club’s League Cup loss. The undercover sting saw an officer in a Liverpool kit ensnare the suspect, who now faces severe punishment under Thai law.
This week, a police unit of loyal Liverpool fans in Thailand’s holiday hotspot of Krabi struck back for their club. It came notably after their team lost the English League Cup final to Newcastle United. Certainly, it was Newcastle’s first UK trophy since 1955. Therefore, this week, when Krabi police spotted an enterprising drug dealer wearing a Newcastle United T-shirt, all of a sudden, the game was afoot. The wrongdoer was ensnared by an undercover police officer wearing a Liverpool shirt. Then afterwards, as he was paraded before the press, he was surrounded by Krabi police officers and Liverpool supporters proudly wearing their Liverpool kit.
Thailand is certainly a country that has always admired the United Kingdom. Both countries have monarchies and a unique sense of national pride. However, there is also a key bond between them. The UK’s high-stakes Premier League football is immensely popular.
A 2022 nationwide poll in Thailand found that 17.33% of adults were hardcore fans of the league. In contrast, only 9.59% were hardcore fans of the Thai soccer alternative.
In addition, the most popular Premier League football team was Liverpool. Indeed, decades ago, former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and father of the current Premier wanted to buy the club. Later, he settled for Manchester City, which he sold afterwards to an Arab consortium that has enjoyed considerable success.
Liverpool dominate Premier League support in Thailand as poll shows club’s huge following in the country
In the poll, 31.32% of Thai Premier League fans supported Liverpool, followed by 20.42% for Manchester United. After them, Chelsea came in third with 9.37%, Arsenal with 3.85%, and Manchester City with 2.95%. Finally, Thai-owned Leicester City came in sixth with 2.82%.
Liverpool presently has 15 million ardent supporters in Thailand. This includes eight million alone who follow the team on social media platforms.
Last weekend, fans of the club suffered cruel disappointment. The team was defeated by Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup, or League Cup as it is more commonly known before. The match took place at Wembley in London on March 16 before nearly 90,000 spectators.
However, there was some consolation as Newcastle had not won a trophy in Britain for 70 years. Before that, their last major UK trophy was the FA Cup in 1955. Nonetheless, the Magpies did win the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup final in 1969 against Újpesti Dózsa of Hungary.
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Nonetheless, coming just days after the team was knocked out of the European Cup, it sent shivers through Liverpool fans. Meanwhile, the team is presently leading the race for the Premier League title.
Liverpool lead Arsenal by 12 points with nine games to go. Unbeaten in their last five games, they next play Everton on April 3rd at Anfield.
However, this week, after the League Cup loss, several police officers based in southern Krabi province found a way to even the score. At length, they had been investigating a food stall owner for illegal drug distribution.
33-year-old Aphichat Nayao, known as Bang An, owned Bang An Fried Meatball Shop.
At the same time, he liked to wear a Newcastle United T-shirt while playing his dual trade. Unfortunately, the bigger profits were in the bags of crystal methamphetamine pills, each containing 200 pills for ฿9,000.
Thai police officers and Liverpool fans arrest Newcastle-supporting drug dealer in undercover sting operation
Consequently, the police team, led by District Police Chief Preecha Saingthong, began their crime suppression operation. An undercover police officer dressed in a Liverpool T-shirt approached Bang An to purchase a bag of illicit drugs. After that, Mr. Aphichat had just scored an own goal.
Subsequently, police swooped in on the meatball stand, most of them dressed in Liverpool shirts. It was game over for Mr Aphichat. The 33-year-old faced prosecution for illicit drug distribution.
On one hand, he could face the death penalty while on the other hand, such an outcome is highly unlikely. Despite this, the alleged drug dealer is facing the prospect of a hefty prison sentence. Thailand is a country that deals severely and harshly with illicit drugs.
Later, Police Chief Preecha was delighted with the latest result for his team.
“This arrest, while not a victory on the football field, is a significant victory in the fight against crime and a great help to society. I am sure we will be celebrating again at the end of the season if Liverpool win the Premier League,” he told reporters.
Thai police celebrate drug bust with football joke as Newcastle fan is paraded in front of Liverpool supporters
Indeed, he was not shy about sharing the humorous side with the media. Subsequently, most of the officers, decked out in Liverpool T-shirts, paraded the arrested suspect to the public. Mr. Aphichat was notably alone in his Newcastle United T-shirt.
Meanwhile, the senior policeman is also confident about Liverpool’s prospects for the Premier League this year. Despite last weekend’s loss, it was good to see Newcastle win something.
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“I and most of my colleagues are Liverpool supporters. Of course, I watched the cup final; I wouldn’t have missed it. It was disappointing we didn’t win, but I wasn’t too saddened because Liverpool have already won this cup 10 times, and Newcastle haven’t won any cup for 70 years,” he said. “And I’m confident we’ll be celebrating at the end of the season when Liverpool win the league.”
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