This is the moment a British fugitive and suspected drug trafficker is arrested in Thailand after spending two years on the run.
Ben Stephen Ransome, 28, had been living in luxury on the holiday island of Phuket until his arrest at a restaurant in the Rawai district on September 2.
He was suspected of being a member of a drug gang and had reportedly fled to Thailand in 2022 to escape a lengthy sentence.
Thailand’s Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) said Ben’s arrest followed a request from the UK’s National Crime Agency for his extradition.
Police launched an investigation and discovered that Ben owned a luxury condominium and a pool villa near Rawai Beach in Phuket’s Mueang district.
Ben Stephen Ransome, 28, from the UK, was arrested at a restaurant in Thailand after being on the run for two years on alleged drug charges.
The alleged member of a far-right drug gang reinvented himself in Thailand as a professional boxer
Ransome was suspected of being a member of a drug gang and reportedly fled to Thailand in 2022 to escape a lengthy sentence.
The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) said Ben’s arrest followed a request from the UK’s National Crime Agency for his extradition.
By the time he was captured, he had already reinvented himself from drug dealer to professional boxer.
Ben remained in Phuket and competed as a boxer in local boxing matches under the alias “Billy Roberts”.
Officials arrested him for “conspiracy to supply class A drugs (cocaine and heroin), conspiracy to supply class B drugs (ketamine) and conspiracy to acquire or possess criminal property.”
He was taken to Bangkok for further legal proceedings, but denied all charges during questioning.
Police Lieutenant General Jirapop Phuridet, Commissioner of the CIB, said: ‘We have handed over the British man to the International Affairs Department of the Attorney General’s Office.
“He has denied the charges, but we are preparing to deport him back to the UK.”
Ben is detained while a deportation flight is organised.
This comes after another Briton was arrested in March by Chiang Mai police for selling drugs to other foreign visitors in the area.
Charly Garcia, 48, had been living in Thailand on a student visa and was facing the death penalty after an undercover police officer reportedly arranged to meet Garcia at a cannabis store on March 12 looking to buy cocaine, ketamine, magic mushrooms, LSD and ecstasy with a street value of £2,400.
Once he received the money, Thai police stormed the room and arrested Garcia.
That same month, British priest Stephen Mullady was arrested by Thai police on suspicion of cocaine trafficking, with officers discovering a variety of illegal substances and drug paraphernalia in his hotel room.
Charly Garcia, 48, from London (pictured), was arrested in Chiang Mai in March on suspicion of possessing drugs with intent to distribute, a crime that can carry the death penalty in Thailand.
Stephen Mullady, 45, from Ascot, Berkshire, was drinking with friends when police raided his hotel room on the luxury island of Phuket on March 18.
Jamie Louis Swain (pictured), 29, from Enfield, north London, was allegedly caught with a bag of cocaine hidden in his passport by Thai immigration staff in May.
Officers allegedly found 2.4 grams of the drug along with three scales and 104 small plastic bags used to separate the powder. Officers said they also seized small amounts of methamphetamine and crystal meth in the 45-year-old’s bedroom.
In May, British tourist Jamie Louis Swain faced a possible sentence of up to 20 years in a Thai prison after immigration staff allegedly caught him with a bag of cocaine hidden in his passport.
When he handed his passport to an immigration officer, the officer noticed a small plastic bag with white powder inside when he flipped through the document to find an empty page to place the visa stamp.
Officers said Swain reacted with surprise, before beginning to swear and shake, prompting authorities to conduct further inspections and scan his luggage.
He was arrested at Phuket International Airport, where police analysed the substance found in his passport and confirmed it was 0.42 grams of cocaine.