Police officers disguised as construction workers have arrested eight Nigerian men and one Thai national during an undercover anti-drug operation in the Nana area of Bangkok.

The Metropolitan Police Bureau said the suspects, aged between 23 and 41, were apprehended just after midnight on Sukhumvit 11 Road in Watthana district.

The sting operation followed a series of public complaints about drug peddling and petty theft targeting tourists in the popular nightlife zone.

Pol Maj Gen Theeradet Thumsuthee, deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, said the operation involved 40 undercover officers from the Bangkok and narcotics suppression units, who blended in by dressing as concrete workers.

“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 suspects had devised a method to conceal and trade cocaine discreetly.
“Such drug dealers normally hold packets of cocaine and drugs in their mouths. If there are customers, they spit out the packets and sell the drug. If police show up, they swallow the packets and run,” he explained.

The officers moved in quietly, surrounding groups of men suspected of dealing drugs before arresting them. The Thai suspect, aged 36 and from Udon Thani province, was among those detained.

Police said the operation aimed to curb the rising number of drug-related activities and street-level crimes in the Nana entertainment district, which has long attracted both tourists and illicit activity.

All suspects are currently in custody and are expected to face charges related to narcotics possession and distribution pending further investigation.

Nigerian nabbed in Bangkok Nightclub Raid

In a related development, on October 18, 2025, a Nigerian national, whose identity was not revealed, was reportedly arrested by Thai authorities for alleged drug trafficking following a late-night raid on a nightclub in Ratchaprarop, Bangkok.

According to reports from a Thai media outlet, The Thaiger, the suspect was apprehended in the early hours of Saturday when officers from the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) and the Insee 19-69 unit stormed the nightclub located in the Ratchathewi district.

The operation was said to have been the culmination of months of surveillance and intelligence reports linking the establishment to late-night drug sales allegedly coordinated by foreign gangs.

“Complaints were made via the 1386 hotline that the nightclub operated until 7am daily and had become a hub for drug distribution.

During the raid, officials conducted drug tests on 127 revellers, comprising Thai nationals and foreigners. Twenty-two people, 11 Thais and 11 foreigners, tested positive for narcotics,” the ONCB said in a statement.

The unnamed Nigerian suspect was reportedly found with 12 grammes of cocaine, while two Thai employees were arrested with two bags of crystal meth, weighing about two grammes, and one bag of cocaine.

“The Nigerian suspect and his Thai wife were identified as suppliers of cocaine and crystal meth to tourists inside the club,” investigators from the ONCB stated. They added that court-issued arrest warrants had been obtained for the couple following a two-month investigation.

A search of the premises led to the discovery of additional quantities of cocaine, used bags of crystal meth, several laughing gas balloons, and a black Suzuki Swift car, which was seized as part of ongoing inquiries.

The Nigerian suspect has been charged with possession of Category 1 and 2 narcotics with intent to sell. His Thai wife, who was not present during the raid, remains at large.