Three Nigerian men and a Russian national have been arrested for allegedly selling illicit drugs in Phuket, Thailand.
The deputy chief of Immigration Bureau, Pol Major General Phanthana Nutchanart, who announced the arrest of the suspects on Wednesday, said they colluded in distributing cocaine to customers last weekend.
The suspects were caught with a variety of illegal drugs including cocaine, ecstasy and methamphetamine estimated at 4.9 million baht.
The investigation began in early April after police received a tip-off from a group of foreign nationals that a Russian national named Denis was involved in car rental and cryptocurrency exchanges.
Undercover police officers approached Mr. Denis and he was offered cocaine at a price of 4,000 baht per gram.
After the transaction, Mr. Denis was arrested and found to be in possession of 0.99 grams of cocaine.
Further investigation revealed that Mr. Denis had purchased the cocaine from two Nigerian nationals, Mr. Harison and Mr. Ogadinma. Police then arrested both men after finding 1.4 grams of cocaine hidden in their car.
The investigation led police to a bungalow in Chalong, Phuket, where they arrested Mr. Solomon, a 53-year-old Nigerian national believed to be the kingpin of the drug trafficking ring.
A large quantity of drugs was seized from the bungalow, including 855 ecstasy pills, 470 grams of cocaine, and 127.8 grams of methamphetamine.
According to police, the street prices for drugs in Phuket are as follows: Ecstasy: 1,000 – 2,000 baht per pill, Cocaine: 4,000 – 5,000 baht per gram, and Methamphetamine: 1,500 – 2,000 baht per gram
The total value of the drugs seized from Mr. Solomon’s bungalow is estimated at 4 million baht. In addition, police seized two cars and 900,000 baht in cash, bringing the total value of the seized assets to 4.9 million baht.
