Four Britons arrested after armed gang storms Pattaya home, holds chef at knifepoint and steals ฿2m safe. CCTV tracks three-car escape as suspects split cash in Jomtien apartment before airport swoop.
Pattaya police swooped on Saturday night, arresting four UK citizens as they attempted to flee the country. The men are suspected of carrying out a brazen nighttime home invasion in Bang Lamung, Pattaya, in which ฿2 million was stolen. Police later revealed that three of the suspects are men of colour and one is white. The robbery took place at the home of 32-year-old Wesleigh Russell and his Thai wife, Chandee, just before 11pm.
Police in Pattaya arrested four people in connection with a brazen armed robbery and home invasion targeting a British man and his Thai wife on Thursday night. A two-million-baht cash haul was the clear objective of a tightly executed home invasion in Chon Buri.
Police say the strike was targeted, deliberate and carefully staged. Moreover, four British nationals are now in custody as the investigation intensifies.
The break-in occurred in the early hours of February 26, 2026. It unfolded at a two-storey townhouse in Chokchai Village 9, tambon Nong Prue, Bang Lamung district. The property belongs to Wesleigh Cyril Russell, 32, a British chef working abroad, and his Thai wife, Chandee, 34. At the time, the couple were inside with a British friend. Then three masked men forced their way into the house.
Armed gang storms townhouse and threatens British chef as they hunt for ฿2m cash safe upstairs
Once inside, the intruders moved quickly. One suspect pressed a knife to Mr Russell’s neck. He demanded to know where the money was kept.
According to investigators, the gang was not searching blindly. Instead, police believe they knew the couple had just withdrawn two million baht in cash. The money had been taken out to purchase a house. It was stored in a safe hidden in a wardrobe in a second-floor bedroom.
Within minutes, the suspects located the safe. They dragged it from the bedroom and carried it downstairs. Then they forced it into a black four-door Ford pickup truck parked outside. At the same time, they seized the couple’s smartphones. After that, they fled the housing estate. However, the escape plan was already in motion.
Pol Col Natthaphon Phongsuksakul, chief of Nong Prue police station, said the operation showed clear signs of planning. Moreover, CCTV footage traced the gang’s movements along a defined route. Police say the suspects used three vehicles to mislead and delay the pursuit.
First, the black four-door Ford pickup was used to reach the house and remove the safe. It left the Wat Boon Samphan, or Khao Noi, area shortly after the robbery. Then it drove along a road parallel to the railway tracks. Shortly afterwards, the suspects discarded the stolen phones near Soi Nong Krabok. From there, the truck continued onto Sukhumvit Road. Next, it turned toward Wat Boonkanchanaram in Jomtien.
CCTV tracks gang’s three-vehicle escape as suspects ditch phones and head toward Jomtien apartment
At 10.57 pm, cameras captured a critical transition. The gang switched from the black pickup to a white sport utility vehicle. The change was swift and coordinated. Subsequently, the white SUV headed to an apartment building in Soi Boonkanchanaram 5. The site lies about eight to nine kilometres from the victims’ home. The vehicle entered the compound and remained there for about five minutes.
Police later reviewed CCTV from inside the building. Investigators say the suspects went to a room on the sixth floor.
There, officers believe, they opened the safe and divided the cash. Preliminary findings indicate the suspects obtained the safe key during the break-in. As a result, the safe was opened without delay. Footage allegedly shows the group handling and sharing the money.
At approximately 11.33 pm, another vehicle arrived at the apartment. This time it was a second black four-door Ford pickup truck. The suspects boarded the truck together. Then they left the location. After that, the vehicle drove along Sukhumvit Road toward Muang district in Chon Buri province. By then, police believe, the two million baht had already been split.
Multi-agency manhunt intensifies as immigration police join hunt for four British suspects
Meanwhile, a coordinated police response was underway. Officers from Nong Prue police station began tracking the route immediately. In addition, the Chon Buri Provincial Investigation Division joined the operation.
Immigration Police and Tourist Police were also deployed. Senior officers overseeing the case include Pol Col Natthaphon Phongsuksakul and Pol Col Phaskorn Paijit. Also involved are Pol Col Naphatphong Khosit Suriyamanee of Chon Buri Immigration Police and Pol Lt Col Prabda Suksuntree of Tourist Police Division 4.
By the evening of February 28, arrests followed. Altogether, four suspects were apprehended. All are British citizens. Police describe three as men of colour and one as white.
One suspect, Christopher, 38, was arrested at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Samut Prakan province. He was detained while attempting to leave Thailand. Police said he was bound for Padang Besar, Malaysia.
Airport arrest and provincial hotel raid net final suspect as four Britons face questioning by Pattaya police
Meanwhile, two other suspects were taken into custody by Immigration Police. However, their exact detention locations have not been disclosed. In addition, a fourth suspect was arrested at a hotel in Prakhon Chai district, Buri Ram province.
All four suspects are being transferred to Nong Prue police station for questioning. There, they are being interrogated separately. Initially, they denied the charges and claimed they did not know the victims. However, police say they are confident in the evidence gathered.
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Investigators are compiling material to seek arrest warrants from the Pattaya Provincial Court. Subsequently, further details are expected at a press conference by Pol Gen Chatchai Surachetphong, commander of Provincial Police Region 2. For now, the case remains active as officers continue to examine evidence and pursue formal charges.
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