Nigerian man and Thai women 'caught with 66kg of heroin hidden in snack and pet food bags'
A Nigerian man and two Thai women were arrested when they were allegedly caught with heroin hidden inside snack and pet food bags.
The gang reportedly distributed the hard drug to tourists and low-level drug dealers before they were arrested in separate raids in Bangkok on May 18.
Police launched the operation following an alert from Immigration Police that one of the Thai suspects, Kanyarat, had returned to Thailand from a neighbouring country.
They tracked her down to a hotel in Bangkok, where officers found a woman matching her description.
Further investigations led to the arrest of suspected Nigerian dealer Chiadikaobi along Phatthanakan Road, and another Thai woman, Somporn, at the Bangkok southern bus terminal.
Officers seized from them 144.4 pounds (65.5 kilogrammes) of heroin worth more than 200 million baht hidden inside bags of snacks and pet food. The drugs were reportedly destined for dealers operating in Thailand's major tourist zones, including Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket.
The trio were charged with possessing Category 1 narcotics for distribution without permission, committing the offence for commercial purposes, causing widespread distribution among the public, and affecting state security or public safety.
Officials said Kanyarat was also being prosecuted for a separate heroin case.
During questioning, the suspects allegedly confessed that the drugs had been supplied by Kanyarat and were linked to a Nigerian distribution network.
They claimed they had never met in person before, but communicated as they also ran romance scams in the country.
Police Lieutenant General Nattasak Chaowanasai, commander of the Central Investigation Bureau, said drug trafficking rings often use Thai women as couriers to avoid arousing suspicion, with some Nigerian nationals recruiting their Thai girlfriends into drug gangs.
He added: 'In the past, the government implemented a 90-day visa-free program, resulting in a large number of tourists entering Thailand. While most were responsible tourists, it has been found that some used this loophole to commit crimes or to hide in order to plan illegal activities.'
The police chief said they were coordinating with various embassies and relevant agencies to crack down on transnational crime rings.
Nigerian drug gangs have been operating in Thai tourist hubs like Pattaya and Bangkok, where police say they target nightlife areas to sell cocaine and heroin to tourists.
The latest arrests come amid a crackdown on African-led drug gangs.
Earlier this year, police arrested alleged Nigerian drug kingpin Patrick, 47, who allegedly posed as a pastor while running a cocaine syndicate supplying high-end clients.
Officers seized millions of baht hidden in his bathroom ceiling along with luxury watches and accessories, cocaine, and foreign currencies during raids linked to the network.
The investigation followed last year's ‘Operation Take Down Black-Shadow Nana', where undercover officers disguised as construction workers to arrest eight Nigerians and a Thai suspect in Bangkok's Nana nightlife district.
