Nigerian suspects and Thai woman arrested in transnational drug smuggling operation linked to romance scam
Nigerian suspects and a Thai woman were arrested in a transnational drug smuggling operation allegedly linked to a romance scam network in Thailand.
The gang are said to have created fake online profiles of attractive men to lure lonely Thai women into relationships.
Scammers reportedly built romantic relationships before duping the women into becoming cross-border drug runners.
Police launched a sting following investigations into Nigerian drug gangs in Thailand.
The Central Investigation Bureau said on June 13 that they have arrested Nigerian nationals Emeka, 39, Anayo, 45, and Thai woman Lalita, 23.
Investigators said Lalita became involved with the network after entering an online relationship with a Nigerian man known as 'Mc General', whom she met on Facebook in mid-2025.
The man allegedly persuaded her to travel to a neighbouring country and collect packages for transport into Thailand in exchange for payments of between 40,000 and 50,000 baht per trip.
Police said Lalita reportedly admitted to smuggling narcotics into Thailand on three occasions before her arrest.
She allegedly crossed a natural border in Nong Khai before being taken to a hotel, where accomplices handed her suitcases packed with drugs concealed inside parcel boxes, coffee bags and snack packaging.
She was said to have used a combination of cars, vans and boats on the return journey to avoid attracting attention before checking into a hotel in Bangkok's Ramkhamhaeng area.
She claimed she was ordered by a Nigerian man to deliver the contraband to accomplices across the city.
Authorities became aware of her movements following her first drug run to a Nigerian suspect.
They arranged a sting after learning that the remaining narcotics were due to be delivered to another Nigerian suspect outside the hotel.
Officers identified themselves and simultaneously arrested all three suspects.
Subsequent searches led to the seizure of heroin, cocaine and other evidence with an estimated value of more than 25 million baht.
Lalita allegedly admitted to smuggling cocaine and heroin into Thailand.
Emeka denied the allegations, while Anayo confessed the cocaine delivered by Lalita belonged to him. He also admitted that he was preparing to distribute the narcotics within local communities.
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.
While on June 9, alleged Nigerian drug kingpin Patrick, 36, was arrested at a luxury condominium in Bangkok.
after allegedly trying to ram his way through a police blockade during a raid targeting the Dodorima criminal network.
Police said Patrick headed the African-led syndicate linked to drug trafficking and romance scams, with investigators tracing more than 380 million baht through the group's operations and seizing cocaine, cash and luxury assets.
