Nigerian drug suspects in Bangkok were arrested in an undercover sting as police disguised as construction workers to tackle drug peddling in Nana district

Nigerian drug suspects in Bangkok have been apprehended by Thai police during an undercover anti-drug operation in the bustling Nana entertainment district, in what authorities described as a decisive move against foreign-led narcotics activities.

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Eight Nigerian men and one Thai national, aged between 23 and 41, were arrested just after midnight on Sukhumvit 11 Road in Watthana district.

The sting, led by 40 undercover officers from the Metropolitan Police Bureau and the narcotics suppression units, came after a surge in public complaints about drug peddling and petty theft targeting tourists.

Pol Maj Gen Theeradet Thumsuthee, deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, said the officers disguised themselves as construction workers to blend into the nightlife environment.

“The undercover operation responded to online complaints and warnings about African drug traffickers and pickpockets annoying tourists in the Nana area,” he said.

According to Thumsuthee, the Nigerian drug suspects in Bangkok had adopted a discreet method of concealing cocaine in their mouths.

“If customers appear, they spit out the packets to sell the drugs. If police arrive, they swallow the packets and flee,” he explained.

Police said the operation aimed to curb rising street-level drug dealing and criminal activity in the Nana zone, long notorious for illicit trades intertwined with its vibrant nightlife.

All nine suspects, including a 36-year-old Thai man from Udon Thani province, are now in custody and face charges related to narcotics possession and distribution pending further investigation.

The Metropolitan Police stressed that the raid was part of a broader crackdown to restore public confidence and protect tourists from criminal elements in central Bangkok.

In a related operation on October 18, 2025, Thai authorities also arrested a Nigerian man in a separate late-night raid on a nightclub in Ratchaprarop, Bangkok.

The joint effort by the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) and the Insee 19-69 unit followed months of surveillance.

Reports by Thai media outlet The Thaiger indicated that the suspect was found with 12 grammes of cocaine, while two Thai employees were caught with smaller amounts of crystal meth and cocaine.

Officials revealed that the Nigerian suspect and his Thai wife, still at large, were suppliers of narcotics to tourists inside the club.

A search of the nightclub uncovered additional quantities of drugs, used bags, laughing gas balloons, and a black Suzuki Swift car, which was seized for further investigation.

The Nigerian suspect has been charged with possession of Category 1 and 2 narcotics with intent to sell.

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Authorities say the crackdown on Nigerian drug suspects in Bangkok marks an escalation in Thailand’s fight against organised narcotics networks that exploit the nightlife economy.