This is the moment a British fugitive and suspected drug trafficker is arrested in Thailand after being on the run for two years.
Ben Stephen Ransome, 28, lived in luxury on the holiday island of Phuket until he was arrested at a restaurant in the Rawai district on September 2.
He was suspected of being a member of a drug gang and is said to have fled to Thailand in 2022 to avoid a lengthy prison sentence.
According to Thailand’s Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), Ben was arrested after Britain’s National Crime Agency requested his extradition.
Police launched an investigation and discovered that Ben owned a luxury apartment and a pool villa near Rawai Beach in Phuket’s Mueang district.
Ben Stephen Ransome, 28, from the United Kingdom was arrested at a restaurant in Thailand after being on the run for two years on drug charges
Suspected drug gang member (far right) has reinvented himself in Thailand as a professional boxer
Ransome was suspected of being a member of a drugs gang and is believed to have fled to Thailand in 2022 to avoid a lengthy prison sentence
The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) said Ben’s arrest followed a request from Britain’s National Crime Agency for his extradition.
By the time he was caught, he had transformed himself from drug dealer to professional boxer.
Ben remained in Phuket and had taken part in local boxing matches as a boxer under the name ‘Billy Roberts’.
Officers arrested him on charges of ‘conspiracy to supply class A drugs (cocaine and heroin), conspiracy to supply class B drugs (ketamine) and conspiracy to obtain or possess criminal property’.
He was taken to Bangkok for further legal proceedings, but denied all charges during questioning.
Lieutenant General Jirapop Phuridet, CIB police commissioner, said: “We have handed over the British man to the International Affairs Department of the Attorney General’s Office.
‘He denies the charges but we are preparing to deport him back to the UK.’
Ben is being held while a deportation flight is being organised.
This follows after another Briton was arrested by Chiang Mai police in March for selling drugs to other foreign visitors in the area.
Charly Garcia, 48, was living in Thailand on a student visa and faced the death penalty after an undercover officer allegedly arranged to meet Garcia at a cannabis shop on March 12. He wanted to buy cocaine, ketamine, magic mushrooms, LSD and ecstasy with a street value of £2,400.
After receiving the money, Thai police stormed the room and arrested Garcia.
In the same month, Stephen Mullady, a British father of one, was arrested by Thai police on suspicion of cocaine trafficking. In his hotel room, officers found a variety of illegal substances and drug paraphernalia.
Charly Garcia, 48, from London, pictured, was arrested in Chiang Mai in March on suspicion of possessing drugs with intent to sell – an offence punishable by death in Thailand.
Stephen Mullady, 45, from Ascot, Berkshire, was drinking with friends when police raided his hotel room on the chic island of Phuket on March 18.
Jamie Louis Swain (pictured), 29, from Enfield, North London, was caught by Thai immigration officers in May with a bag of cocaine hidden in his passport
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 from the 45-year-old’s room.
In May, British tourist Jamie Louis Swain faced up to 20 years in a Thai prison after being caught by immigration officials 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. He flipped through the document, looking for a blank page to place the visa stamp.
According to officers, Swain reacted with surprise, then began cursing and shaking, prompting authorities to conduct further inspections and scan his luggage.
He was arrested at Phuket International Airport, where police tested the substance in his passport and confirmed it was 0.42 grams of cocaine.