Nigerian man tries to swallow cocaine during his arrest in Pattaya
Sting operation leads to two Nigerian drug suspects in Pattaya
One of two Nigerian suspects attempted to swallow cocaine during his arrest in Pattaya yesterday, October 29.
Chon Buri Immigration Police officers received a tip-off about two Nigerian drug dealers, later identified as 38 year old Amarachi and 22 year old Ikenna. Officers then set up a sting operation and arranged a meeting for a crystal meth sale with Amarachi at a condominium in the Jomtien area of Pattaya.
Undercover officers revealed themselves and arrested Amarachi. Eight bags of crystal meth were found hidden inside a cigarette pack.
Officers later searched his condominium room, where he lived with his Thai girlfriend, and found more drugs. Amarachi admitted he had obtained the drugs from a fellow Nigerian man, Ikenna, who he claimed was a major dealer supplying cocaine to foreigners in Pattaya.
Police launched another sting operation to arrest Ikenna. Officers posed as drug users and asked him to deliver cocaine to the same condominium. Ikenna was arrested immediately upon arrival.
Officers stopped the Nigerian man just as he was trying to swallow the cocaine to destroy the evidence, successfully removing it from his mouth.
A further search of his condominium room uncovered eight blocks of cocaine wrapped in black tape and concealed in rubber gloves inside a toothpaste box. In total, police seized 33 grammes of crystal meth and nine grammes of cocaine.
Both Nigerian suspects were handed over to Mueang Pattaya Police Station for legal proceedings. They were charged with possession of Category 1 narcotics for sale, which carries a penalty of two to 20 years’ imprisonment and a fine of between 200,000 and two million baht, under Section 145 of the Narcotics Control Act.
They were also charged with overstaying their visas, which carries a punishment of up to two years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to 20,000 baht, or both, under Section 81 of the Immigration Act.
In another recent crackdown reported in Bangkok, eight Nigerian men and one Thai suspect were arrested by officers disguised as construction workers for drug trafficking. Another Nigerian man was also arrested in a nightclub raid for distributing drugs to partygoers.
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