Couple arrested in Koh Samui for alleged sale of kratom leaves
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Police have arrested a couple in Koh Samui and seized 135 kilograms of kratom leaves from their rented room. Sale of kratom leaves is banned in Thailand.
Acting on a tip-off, police arrested Nanthawut Pramyindee, 22, and Naowarat Saengsuwan, 38, at a rented room in Tambon Borphut on Koh Samui late Thursday night.
The two admitted that they owned the kratom leaves, which they had brought from Surat Thani to sell to clients in Tambon Borphut and Tambon Maret on the island.
Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa Korth) is a tropical evergreen tree in the coffee family (Rubiaceae) native to Southeast Asia. The Thai government passed the Kratom Act 2486, which took effect on August 3, 1943, making planting of the tree illegal.
