Undercover police disguised as construction workers apprehended several suspected Nigerian drug traffickers in Bangkok’s Nana area earlier today, on October 26.
According to Police Major General Theeradet Thumsuthee, deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, a team of 40 plainclothes officers, primarily posing as construction workers, arrested eight Nigerian men and a Thai suspect, aged 23 to 41, just after midnight.
The operation was initiated by Bangkok and narcotics suppression police on Sukhumvit 11 Road in Watthana district, following online complaints and warnings about African drug traffickers and pickpockets causing disturbances to tourists in Nana.
The deputy Bangkok police chief described the drug dealers’ strategy, noting that they typically hold packets of cocaine and drugs in their mouths. When approached by customers, they spit out the packets to sell the drugs; whereas if confronted by police, they swallow the packets and flee.
The undercover officers discreetly approached and caught the suspected traffickers in the act. The arrested individuals included eight Nigerian men and a 36 year old Thai citizen from Udon Thani province.
During the operation, police confiscated two packets of cocaine weighing a total of four grammes. They anticipated recovering more narcotics as other suspects were expected to expel the swallowed packets.
Police Major General Theeradet explained that drugs were smuggled into the country by dealers who ingested packets before arriving by air. These drugs were later retrieved and sold at popular tourist spots.
Source: The Thaiger