Phuket Woman Arrested for Selling Unapproved Weight Loss Pens Online

A 25-year-old woman was arrested in Phuket on August 7 for allegedly selling unapproved weight loss injection products online without a licence.

The investigation began after Phuket residents complained that slimming products were allegedly being sold secretly from a rented room in Mueang district.

Officers from Phuket City Police Station worked with officials from the Phuket Provincial Public Health Office to search the rented room in Soi King Kaeo. During the operation, police arrested the woman, identified as Ploy, and seized four sets of peptide-based weight loss products.

Each set contained a 10mg vial of tirzepatide, an injectable medicine used for weight management and diabetes treatment, as well as one vial of BAC water for preparing the product, four 0.5cc syringes, one 3cc syringe and a clear plastic container.

Police also seized 12 additional 0.5cc syringes and an iPhone 16 Pro as part of the investigation.

According to Matichon, police began collecting evidence after receiving complaints that the slimming products were being sold online from the rented property. Investigators subsequently obtained a search warrant before entering the premises and making the arrest.

Police initially charged Ploy under Thailand’s Drug Act B.E. 2510 (1967) with producing or selling modern medicines without a licence and selling medicines that had not been registered.

The suspect and all seized items were taken to Phuket City Police Station, where further legal proceedings are underway.

The case comes amid growing scrutiny of weight loss injection products and their distribution in Thailand. In a separate case, customs officers at Suvarnabhumi Airport recently arrested a Chinese passenger after allegedly discovering 137 packages of tirzepatide that had not gone through the required customs procedures. The seized injections were reportedly valued at more than 2.13 million baht.