Undercover cops pose as bin men to catch drug kingpin in Thailand
Undercover cops disguised themselves as bin men to infiltrate a Thai neighbourhood allegedly controlled by a drug kingpin.
More than 50 officers donned the uniforms of local trash collectors as they entered the suspected narcotics hub of Soi On Nut in Bangkok on October 7.
They pretended to clean up rubbish left from recent floods while searching for alleged ringleader Somphop, 38, also known as Bang Dum - a notorious suspect with a criminal history including rape, murder and assault who is now wanted on drug charges.
Police had spent weeks investigating the drug network and monitoring its distribution hub in Soi On Nut.
But investigators said they had struggled to infiltrate the neighbourhood, where lookouts allegedly alerted dealers whenever police approached.
Narrow alleyways and overgrown dumping grounds also made surveillance difficult.
Cops later organised the operation, using the post-flood clean-up as cover to reach the community without alerting Bang Dum.
The team raided five locations, arresting five alleged members of the network and identifying nine drug users.
A tip-off then led officers to the alleged leader, Bang Dum, who was hiding in a rented home on the outskirts of the capital, Bangkok.
He was arrested on charges of distributing Category 1 narcotics by possessing them for distribution, for commercial purposes, or causing illegal widespread dissemination; possessing psychoactive substances without authorisation; and conspiring with two or more persons to commit a serious drug offence.
Officers said he had a prior criminal record involving seven cases dating back to 2007, including charges of possessing drugs, murder, attempted murder, rape, illegal detention, assault, possessing firearms and ammunition, and gambling.
While being detained, Bang Dam claimed innocence, saying: ‘I do not know what the officers are arresting me for.
‘I am in no way involved with narcotics, and I request to exercise my right to consult a lawyer.'
Police said they seized 1,644 methamphetamine pills, 63 grammes of crystal meth, 2.5 grammes of ketamine, five mobile phones, a Toyota car and five motorbikes during the raids.
The suspects were handed over to investigators at Prawet Police Station, while the nine people identified as drug users were referred for rehabilitation and treatment.
Police Major General Theeradej Thamsuthee, deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, said: ‘This operation represents a joint effort between officers from the Metropolitan Police Bureau, the Office of the Narcotics Control Board, and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, leading to the ultimate suppression of the network from street-level dealers up to the network leader.
‘Furthermore, expanding the case revealed evidence in several other cases linking back to Bang Dum.
‘From now on, further investigations will be expanded to prosecute additional related parties to the fullest extent.'
In October 2025, Thai police disguised themselves as construction workers to infiltrate Bangkok's Nana district and arrest eight Nigerian men suspected of selling cocaine.
While in February this year, police officers disguised as lion dancers arrested an alleged serial burglar at a carnival in Nonthaburi.
Footage captured the officers in bright lion-dance costumes performing among crowds before suddenly closing in on a man in a brown shirt at the Wat Khlong Ta Klai temple.
