Briton Matthew Ryan was hunted through Pattaya over ฿29,200 worth of cannabis before a store worker, Ice, spotted his blue Scoopy, punched him and held him by the neck. Ryan accepts the debt, as police separately investigate his fake payment slips from Monday’s assault.
A month-long hunt over ฿29,200 of cannabis ended violently on a central Pattaya street after shop employee Ice spotted British customer Matthew Ryan riding his distinctive blue Honda Scoopy. Video showed the 31-year-old punching Mr Ryan, dragging him down and locking him in a chokehold as bystanders intervened. The shop claims the 51-year-old used two false transfer records during an August 8 purchase before disappearing. Mr Ryan later accepted the debt and agreed to three repayments, while Ice admitted attacking him. Pattaya police are now investigating the payment records and assault separately. The clash is the sixth directly cannabis-linked Pattaya crime reported during 2026, a grim list featuring fraud, theft, illegal sales and two fatal attacks.
A Pattaya cannabis shop employee attacked British customer Matthew Ryan after spotting him riding through central Pattaya on Sunday evening. The 51-year-old Briton was travelling on his distinctive blue Honda Scoopy motorcycle. The employee, identified by the pseudonym “Ice”, had searched for him for nearly one month. Then, a tip placed Mr Ryan near Soi Bong Koch.
In response, Ice immediately travelled to the area and intercepted Mr Ryan on the road. The confrontation quickly became violent. Video showed the 31-year-old employee punching the Briton and bringing him to the ground. He then locked Mr Ryan in a chokehold.
At that point, several bystanders attempted to intervene. Ice refused to release Mr Ryan and accused him of stealing from the cannabis shop. “This bastard is a thief,” he reportedly shouted at those trying to help. Meanwhile, a Thai woman tried to calm him and negotiate the Briton’s release.
Pattaya police probe recorded chokehold after shop says Matthew Ryan used two false payment records
Nevertheless, ICE continued restraining Mr Ryan while demanding compensation for the shop’s loss. The attack occurred on August 30 in Soi Bong Koch, central Pattaya. The location lies in Moo 9, Nong Prue subdistrict, Bang Lamung district, Chonburi. Soon afterwards, video of the confrontation spread rapidly across social media.
Consequently, Pattaya City Police summoned Ice and recorded his personal information. Officers also began examining the assault captured in the footage. Ice works at a cannabis outlet on Sukhumvit Road in North Pattaya. Matthew Ryan was identified as a 51-year-old British national.
On Monday night, Ice spoke publicly about the confrontation. He admitted punching and restraining Mr Ryan. However, he said the violence followed a month-long dispute over cannabis products worth ฿29,200. The dispute began when Mr Ryan visited the shop on August 8.
According to ICE, Mr Ryan obtained cannabis products carrying a total price of ฿29,200. When payment became due, he claimed that he had transferred the money into the shop’s account. Mr Ryan also supplied two electronic records appearing to confirm the transfers. Yet no money ever reached the business’s bank account.
After checking its records, the shop concluded that both payment documents were false. Staff then filed a formal complaint with police. Separately, the business circulated a public warning about the disputed transaction. Employees also began searching for Mr Ryan across Pattaya.
Tip leads Ice to Matthew Ryan before street assault ends with Briton accepting the full ฿29,200 debt
For almost one month, those efforts produced no result. Then, on Sunday evening, someone reported seeing Mr Ryan near Soi Bong Koch. Ice immediately travelled there and spotted the blue Honda Scoopy. Its distinctive colour helped him recognise the British customer.
Moments later, ICE confronted Mr Ryan while he was riding through the street. The available video shows the later stages of that encounter. It records punches, forceful restraint and repeated efforts by bystanders to intervene. Notably, the footage does not show precisely how the confrontation began.
As part of the investigation, police must establish how Ice stopped Mr Ryan’s motorcycle. Officers must also determine how the Briton was brought to the ground. In addition, they must examine the force used during the chokehold. Witness accounts may provide details missing from the circulating footage.
During the recorded struggle, Ice wrapped his arm around Mr Ryan’s neck. He also prevented bystanders from approaching the British man. Moreover, the employee repeatedly accused Mr Ryan of taking cannabis without paying. He demanded recovery of the full ฿29,200 before ending the confrontation.
Eventually, both men appeared before an investigating officer. They then negotiated over the unpaid products and disputed payment evidence. During those discussions, Mr Ryan reportedly admitted producing the false transfer records. He also accepted the full ฿29,200 debt.
Ryan agrees three repayments as police separate disputed cannabis pay slips from street assault
Under the resulting agreement, Mr Ryan will repay the shop through three instalments. Initially, he must pay ฿10,000. A second payment will also amount to ฿10,000. Finally, a third instalment of ฿9,200 will clear the outstanding balance.
Reports have not disclosed the dates attached to those payments. Likewise, police have not confirmed whether Mr Ryan has already paid the first instalment. No additional conditions attached to the agreement have been reported. His compliance with the repayment schedule therefore remains unconfirmed.
Crucially, the agreement does not end the police inquiries. Officers have separated the disputed cannabis transaction from the physical assault. The payment records form one matter. By contrast, the punches and chokehold form another investigation.
There is presently no confirmation that police have charged Mr Ryan over the electronic records. His reported admission came during negotiations before an investigating officer. Therefore, his formal legal position remains unclear. Police have also not disclosed whether specialists will examine the two payment documents.
In parallel, Pattaya City Police are examining Ice’s conduct during the street attack. Officers summoned him after the video spread online. They recorded his information and questioned him about the confrontation. Ice admitted losing control while pursuing the outstanding payment.
Ice admits violence as police examine chokehold, witness accounts and two disputed payment records
Furthermore, Ice said anger over the missing ฿29,200 drove his actions. He accepted responsibility for using violence against Mr Ryan. He also acknowledged that the assault was wrong. At no stage did he dispute being the attacker shown in the video.
Beyond that admission, Ice rejected claims involving hidden or illegal business activity. He insisted the confrontation arose solely from the cannabis transaction. Additionally, he said that he had never used drugs. Those statements formed part of his public account on Monday night.
After reaching the repayment agreement, both men went their separate ways. Even so, the arrangement did not remove possible criminal consequences. Police continued examining the recorded attack independently. Any financial settlement therefore remains separate from the use of force.
Next, investigators must compare the video with statements from both men. They may also question witnesses who attempted to stop the assault. Specifically, officers must determine how long the chokehold continued. They must establish whether Mr Ryan suffered any injuries during the attack.
On another front, police must examine the electronic records supplied during the August 8 purchase. Investigators must establish who created them and how they reached the shop. They must also determine whether they were knowingly used to obtain the cannabis. No formal finding on those questions has been announced.
Six reported cannabis-linked Pattaya cases include fraud, illegal sales, public disorder and two deaths
The confrontation is the latest cannabis-linked crime reported around Pattaya during 2026. At least six directly connected incidents surfaced by August 31. That figure represents a documented media minimum. It is not an official total compiled by Pattaya or Chonburi police.
Even so, the cases cover suspected fraud, theft, illegal sales, public disorder and serious violence. Two incidents ended in deaths. Another involved a chokehold and punches directed at Mr Ryan. The remaining cases centred on business disputes, theft or unauthorised trading.
The first clearly reported incident emerged on February 19. A Thai woman and foreign man reportedly targeted another Pattaya cannabis business. The pair demanded ฿13,000 from its owner. They claimed the shop owed money for earlier cannabis flower orders.
In turn, the owner rejected the demand and described it as a fabricated debt. The confrontation became the year’s first clearly reported cannabis-business case. No physical injuries were reported. Instead, the dispute centred on the attempted collection of money.
Only one week later, another cannabis-linked incident occurred on Pattaya Beach. On February 26, police arrested a 36-year-old British national. The arrest followed a clash involving a cannabis vendor. The man reportedly snatched the vendor’s telephone and caused a beachfront disturbance.
Police arrest British man after Pattaya vendor clash before closing illegal Russian cannabis operation
Following the disturbance, officers intervened and arrested the British man. The incident became the second reported cannabis-trade case during February. Unlike the later attack involving Matthew Ryan, no major injury was reported. Still, the case involved property and public disorder.
On March 5, police moved against an unauthorised cannabis-processing operation near Jomtien Beach. Officers arrested a 27-year-old Russian national at the site. He was accused of processing and selling cannabis products without permission. No violence was reported during the operation.
Unlike the February disputes, the March case involved direct enforcement against cannabis trading. Police focused on the processing operation and its sales. The reported accusations concerned permission to handle and distribute the products. Further details about the case’s outcome were not supplied.
Then, on April 19, Pattaya recorded the year’s deadliest cannabis-business incident. A drunken Pattaya police investigator caused an armed disturbance near Walking Street. The incident unfolded during the Songkran celebrations. Cannabis shop owner Phatthorn “Kings” Jirachokchaikul, 41, attempted to intervene.
Pattaya police officer shoots cannabis shop owner dead before another fatal case emerges in Nong Prue
According to reports, Mr Phatthorn tried to stop the officer and secure his weapon. Instead, the investigator shot him twice at close range. The shop owner suffered critical injuries and later died. Police arrested the gunman at the scene.
Immediately afterwards, officers seized the investigator’s pistol and ammunition. The police officer was subsequently removed from service. He was charged with intentional murder and several firearms offences. Later, a Pattaya court refused him bail.
Those additional counts covered firing a weapon publicly and carrying it without proper grounds. The officer was then transferred to prison while the case proceeded. The shooting turned an armed disturbance into a murder investigation. It also killed a cannabis business owner who tried to intervene.
Another fatal cannabis-linked case followed in Nong Prue on July 2. British businessman Thomas David Powell, 34, was found stabbed inside a luxury rented villa. Mr Powell operated a cannabis farm in Bang Lamung. He reportedly planned to settle permanently in Thailand.
Police found Mr Powell’s body on a bathroom floor. He had suffered two wounds to his back and three to his torso. He also sustained a wound to his left hand. A pillow had reportedly been placed across his head.
British cannabis farmer found stabbed in villa as girlfriend is arrested and police uncover struggle
Inside the property, officers found blood and signs of a violent struggle. Investigators also believed that someone had moved the body. Nearby, police recovered a 50-centimetre machete-like knife from a sink. Significantly, the weapon had reportedly been washed.
At the villa, police arrested Mr Powell’s 21-year-old British girlfriend. She initially claimed that he had injured himself. Investigators rejected that account as inconsistent with the wounds and physical evidence. Reports said the couple had smoked cannabis before the killing.
At the same time, police described the woman as heavily intoxicated when officers arrived. Her precise condition became part of the investigation. The available material does not provide the final outcome of the case. However, the arrest followed the discovery of the body and cleaned weapon.
Against that background, the attack involving Matthew Ryan became the sixth directly connected case. Unlike the two killings, it began with a retail transaction. Yet it ended with punches and a chokehold on a public street. The incident now presents possible offences on both sides.
From the shop’s account, the case began with two payment records covering ฿29,200. No corresponding money entered its bank account. From Mr Ryan’s position, the later confrontation involved a physical attack while he was riding. Both questions now require separate police findings.
Seventh Pattaya case has indirect cannabis link while three directly connected incidents turn violent
A broader calculation produces seven cannabis-related Pattaya cases during 2026. However, the seventh has a weaker cannabis connection. On February 13, a 22-year-old British tourist was stabbed inside a convenience store. Police later found a small quantity of cannabis on him.
Initially, the confrontation reportedly began after a 23-year-old Thai man bumped into the tourist. A heated argument followed inside the shop. During the fight, the Thai man drew a knife. He then stabbed the British visitor in the right thigh.
As blood flowed, terrified customers fled the store. Employees attempted to stop the bleeding while other customers blocked the attacker’s escape. Shortly afterwards, nearby police arrived and arrested the Thai man. The injured tourist was taken for treatment.
Importantly, no available evidence established cannabis as the cause of that violence. The drug was found on the tourist after the stabbing. Accordingly, the incident carries only an indirect connection with cannabis. It is therefore excluded from the six directly linked cases.
Taken together, six incidents have direct links to cannabis businesses, transactions, sales or reported consumption. The seventh involved cannabis possession during a separate violent dispute. Of the six direct cases, three involved serious physical violence. Those were the April shooting, July killing and August assault.
Police keep Matthew Ryan’s cannabis payment dispute separate from Ice’s recorded Pattaya street attack
In contrast, the remaining incidents involved a suspected false-debt scam, telephone snatching and unauthorised processing. The latest case combines disputed payment records with a recorded street attack. As a result, Pattaya police must handle two investigations arising from one cannabis sale. Neither side’s reported conduct automatically cancels the other.
Matthew Ryan has agreed to repay the full ฿29,200 through three instalments. Still, his legal position over the payment records has not been confirmed. ICE has admitted to attacking him and accepted responsibility for the violence. Yet police have not announced the precise charge against the employee.
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For investigators, the division remains firm. The disputed cannabis payment is one case, while the street attack is another. Repayment may cover the shop’s financial loss. It does not automatically settle the punches and chokehold now under police investigation.
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Further reading:
Senior Bangkok police officer charged with armed robbery of Pathum Thani cannabis shop this week
