Police have drawn a connection between an Australian Hells Angels gang member arrested for alleged smuggling of crystal methamphetamine and the murder of a compatriot found buried in Chon Buri province in 2015.
Their suspicions were outlined at a news conference at police headquarters in Bangkok on Tuesday.
It follows the arrest of Luke Joshua Cook, 34, and his Thai wife Kanyarat Wechapitak, 40, at Suvarnabhumi airport on Saturday. They were arriving back from Australia.
Pol Lt Gen Weerapong Chuenpakdi, an acting special advisor, said Mr Cook was suspected of receiving US$10 million from compatriot and fellow Hells Angel Wayne Schneider, 37, in Pattaya in early 2015. This was to buy 500 kilogrammes of crystal methamphetamine, or "ice," in international waters. The drugs were to be stored in Thailand and later smuggled into Australia.
Mr Cook allegedly used a yacht he had bought to pick up the drugs in the early morning of June 22, 2015.
On the way back, the yacht was spotted by a patrol boat. A man was seen dropping bags of what were believed to be drugs into the sea.
"Later in the morning, villagers found four yellow animal feed sacks on a beach in Muang district of Rayong," Pol Lt Gen Weerapong said.
"The sacks actually contained 50.45kg of ice. It is believed this was the ice that Mr Cook and his associates had planned to smuggle."
After the drug delivery failed, Schneider had demanded Mr Cook return the money, according to police. Schneider was murdered and his body was found buried in Sattahip district in November 2015.
Police sought warrants for the arrest of Mr Cook and his wife from the Rayong provincial court last month.
Police searched many properties on Sunday connected with Mr Cook and his wife and seized and froze assets worth about 30 million baht - including three condominiums in Pattaya, luxury cars and motorcycles, guns, cash and yachts.
Pol Lt Gen Weerapong said the case also involved American Tyler Joseph Fulton Sheen Gerard, 23, and four other people arrested in 2015 for the abduction and murder of Schneider.
They were believed to be major drug dealers, part of a worldwide network, he said.
