In relation to a cocaine trafficking network that operates in Bangkok’s nightlife areas, a Nigerian man has been detained in Thailand.
The Bangkok Post reported on Sunday that Nwaiwu Ifeanyi Placid, 46, was taken into custody by officers in an operation aimed at the syndicate, according to Pol Lt Gen Sayam Boonsom, chief of the Metropolitan Police Bureau.
According to the police, he was located and taken into custody close to Silom Soi 1, where roughly 27 grams of cocaine were found.
Thomas Giubibini, a Swiss national, and two Thai suspects, Thanayot Asawamethi, age 35, and Nattawat Wangkitjinda, age 34, were also detained on suspicion of narcotics possession.
About 30 grams of cocaine, a car, 1.5 million baht in cash, 15,000 baht in foreign currency, and jewelry worth 400,000 baht were among the total seizures, according to the authorities.
The arrests were connected by police to previous actions against the same network.
On October 26 of last year, they claimed, officers “dismantled a Nana-based network and arrested nine Nigerian suspects while posing as construction workers.”
Additionally, they said that a raid on January 23 resulted in additional arrests and the confiscation of property valued at over 7 million baht.
Later, investigators discovered that “Patrick,” a 47-year-old Nigerian suspect, was a crucial member of the network. He allegedly ran a “middleman-free” drug network and had lived in Thailand for at least 17 years, according to the police.
Before making any arrests, the officers claimed to have “infiltrated the chat groups and tracked his movements” through communication channels.
The suspect resisted arrest and was subdued by officials, according to deputy commissioner Pol Maj Gen Theeradet Thamsuthee. He later allegedly confessed, stating he “confessed to the charges.”
All suspects are still being held as investigations continue, according to the police.
