Nigerian 'drug kingpin' arrested in condo raid in Thailand as police uncover massive cocaine network
This is the dramatic moment an alleged Nigerian drug kingpin was arrested in a condo raid as police uncovered a massive cocaine network in Thailand.
The suspect, identified by officers only as Patrick, 36, tried to ram his car through a police blockade while fleeing from his luxury condominium in Bangkok on June 9.
He is said to be the head of the Dodorima group - an African criminal network that conducts illegal business activities in Thailand disguised as charity programmes.
Footage shows police surrounding Patrick's Toyota sedan before he suddenly drove in reverse.
Officers pulled out their guns, but he refused to step out. They then shattered the windows and put him in handcuffs as 18 grammes of cocaine were found in the vehicle.
A subsequent search of his unit found cash, luxury accessories, and more cocaine.
Police seized 700,000 baht in assets, including a car, designer items, and cash and bank accounts. They also found text messages on his phone appearing to ridicule Thai drug users.
The message allegedly read: 'The powder they're sniffing comes from our backsides.'
Patrick was charged with illegal possession and sale of a Category 2 narcotic, as well as resisting and obstructing officials while they were performing their duties.
Authorities said additional money laundering charges were being considered.
The operation followed an earlier raid on a Nigerian romance scam in May in which six Nigerians were arrested.
The syndicate was later found to have links to the Dodorima group, with more than 300 million baht circulating through its operations.
Officials said Dodorima, a greeting in Nigerian languages, was an offshoot of the Neo Black Movement (NBM) of Africa - a Pan-African movement with links to the notorious Black Axe transnational criminal gang in Nigeria.
Dodorima allegedly organised frequent ‘charity tours', travelling together to donate goods at charitable events to conceal their illegal activities.
Its operations are believed to be headed by Patrick, who has been living in Thailand for more than seven years, regularly travelling between Thailand and Africa.
He was said to have started out as a street-level cocaine dealer before climbing the syndicate ranks.
Investigators said the network generated more than 380 million baht in circulation over the past year alone, allowing him to build a sprawling mansion in Nigeria.
Although he had stepped away from street-level drug dealing, police said he remained closely connected to key cocaine traffickers, leading to his arrest.
During questioning, Patrick partially confessed and admitted to cocaine trafficking but denied involvement in money laundering activities. He claimed the group's charity projects were funded by his fish export business between Thailand and Nigeria.
Police Major General Theeradet Thamsuthee, deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, said investigations were ongoing but additional details cannot be made public yet.
The police chief said: ‘Regarding the expanded investigation, we have obtained important intelligence concerning this transnational crime syndicate that cannot yet be disclosed.
‘This operation successfully apprehended a network leader, effectively disrupting the money laundering cycle of a major international drug trafficking and scam syndicate.
‘Moving forward, we will coordinate with the Office of the Narcotics Control Board and international agencies to trace financial routes and track down all accomplices, including both foreign nationals and Thai citizens involved, for legal action.'
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.
