Police have detained four foreign suspects accused of robbing a British man's safe containing 2 million baht. Initially, they deny the charges and claim not to know each other, but police are skeptical and confident in the evidence.
In the case involving three suspects dressed in black wearing balaclavas who broke into a house in Nong Prue Subdistrict, Bang Lamung District, Chonburi Province, they threatened Mr. Wesley Cyril Russell, 32, a British chef working abroad, and his Thai wife with a knife. They then took a safe from the wardrobe in the second-floor bedroom, carried it to a black four-door pickup truck, and fled. The safe contained over 2 million baht in cash. The incident occurred around midnight on 26 Feb 2026, as previously reported.
Today (28 February 2026), Police Colonel Natthaphon Phongsuksakul, Chief of Nong Prue Police Station; Police Colonel Phasakorn Paijit, Chief of Investigation, Chonburi Provincial Police; Police Colonel Napatsapong Khositsuriyamanee, Chief of Immigration Police Chonburi; and Police Lieutenant Colonel Prapda Suksunthree, Inspector of Tourist Police Division 4, jointly deployed detectives to investigate and pursue the suspects. Police believe the perpetrators planned the robbery knowing the victim had recently withdrawn 2 million baht in cash to purchase a house. They also suspect the criminals are of the same nationality and know each other from a cannabis shop in Pattaya city area.
From the investigation and review of CCTV footage along the escape route, police found the criminals used three vehicles. The first was a black four-door Ford pickup truck used in the robbery at the victim’s home in Soi Wat Boonsampan (Khao Noi). After the robbery, the vehicle drove along the railway line road, where the victim’s mobile phone was discarded near Soi Nong Krabok. The truck then proceeded onto Sukhumvit Road, turning right toward Wat Boon Kanjanaram - Jomtien.
Police later found evidence from CCTV showing the suspects switched vehicles, changing from the black Ford pickup to a white SUV. At 22:57, the SUV arrived at an apartment in Soi Boon Kanjanaram 5, about 8-9 km from the robbery scene. The vehicle stayed inside for about five minutes before leaving. It is believed the suspects went there to open the safe and divide the money.
At approximately 23:33 on the same night, another suspicious vehicle, a four-door Ford pickup truck, arrived to pick up the suspects and then drove onto Sukhumvit Road (Bangna-Trat) heading toward Chonburi Province. The suspects’ use of multiple vehicles appears intended to mislead authorities, resembling tactics from the popular film “Fast & Furious.”
Most recently, in the evening, police from Nong Prue Station, Regional Investigation Division 2, Chonburi Provincial Investigation, and Immigration Police detained four British suspects: three Black men and one White man. One suspect, Christopher, 38, was arrested at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Samut Prakan while attempting to flee Thailand to Padang Besar, Malaysia. He was brought for questioning at Nong Prue Police Station this afternoon.
The second and third suspects are confirmed to be in immigration police custody, though their exact locations are undisclosed. The fourth suspect was arrested at a hotel in Prakhon Chai District, Buriram Province. All four are currently held at Nong Prue Police Station in Chonburi and are being interrogated separately.
Initially, the British suspects deny involvement and claim they do not know each other. However, CCTV footage shows them opening the safe and dividing the money in a sixth-floor apartment room at an apartment complex in Soi Wat Boon Kanjanaram (Jomtien), Nong Prue Subdistrict, Bang Lamung District, Chonburi. Preliminary information indicates the perpetrators removed the safe’s key after breaking in, allowing easy access to the money. Police are gathering evidence to request Pattaya Provincial Court to issue arrest warrants. Additional details are expected in an official statement from Pol. Lt. Gen. Chatchai Sorasethapong, Commander of Region 2 Police.