Four Nigerian nationals, three women, Ivorian man arrested as police and DEA bust international drug trafficking network in Thailand

The Narcotics Suppression Bureau (NSB) of the Royal Thai Police, in cooperation with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) of the United States, has arrested eight members of a Nigerian-led transnational drug network. 

Pol. Lt. Gen. Kirisak Tantinwachai, acting commissioner of the Narcotics Suppression Bureau, who disclosed this at a press conference on Friday, October 17, 2023, said the arrested persons were three Thai women, four Nigerian nationals and a man from the Ivory Coast.

The Thai women who are wives or girlfriends of the Nigerians, are Thatsanee, Rattanaporn and Kanokkom. 

The raid called “Operation Mouse Hunt” was carried out at a residential area on Nimmitr New Road in the Khlong Sam Wa district of Bangkok and 16 other locations in surrounding provinces. 

Law enforcement officials also seized important evidence, including four cars, 17 baht of gold, 350 grams of heroin, 49 grams of cocaine and 6 grams of methamphetamine with a total value of 2.5 million baht.

According to Kirisak Tantinwachai, there was a drug trafficking network involving Nigerian nationals who smuggled narcotics into Thailand. 

The network was allegedly led by a key figure called Mr. M, who was based in Nigeria. He instructed his associates, including Mr. Joseph (also known as Mickey), a Nigerian national living in Thailand, to buy narcotics.

It emerged that Mr. Joseph had a Thai wife, Ms. Tassanee, who was involved in the operation and used her bank account to obtain money for the drugs.

This network distributed narcotics to tourists in the Bangkok area and in three other countries: Australia, New Zealand and Taiwan.

The organisation also engaged in manufacturing, hiring secret drug labs to mix cocaine with chocolate and baking powder, which was then formed into candy bars and distributed abroad.

The network laundered money through the purchase of various commodities such as children’s clothes, shoes and dried fish, which were sent to Africa through shipping companies both domestically and internationally. 

Superintendent Kirisak said officers were now conducting further investigations into the gang and questioning the arrested suspects to arrest the entire gang. 

Kirisak explained that the Nigerian drug smugglers focused on Thai women who were in financial difficulties. 

They would date the women and gradually coerce them into the drug smuggling network and use them as nominees. 

Kirisak urged Thais to report to the police if they notice a group of Nigerian nationals avoiding contact with locals and acting suspiciously. 

The commissioner also warned Thai women not to join the gang as the ultimate punishment for conspiring in a drug smuggling network is the death penalty.