Two Nigerians arrested in Thailand for alleged cocaine possession, immigration violations

Two Nigerians arrested in Thailand [Credit: thepattayanews]

Two Nigerian men whose identities have yet to be disclosed have been arrested by immigration authorities in Thailand after they were allegedly found in possession of about six grammes of cocaine.

Reports noted that the two men were arrested on Friday after immigration officials raided their apartment in central Pattaya following an anonymous tip-off that one of them was allegedly involved in drug dealing, while the other was suspected of residing illegally in the country.

Pattaya Mail reported that upon searching the house, officers discovered the cocaine hidden inside a kitchen extractor hood. Checks by authorities later showed that one of the suspects had been living in the country undocumented, while the other entered on a tourist visa.

The cocaine was reportedly divided into five small packages wrapped in black adhesive tape, while a preliminary urine test reportedly detected drugs in the system of one of the suspects. 

It was gathered that the suspects confessed during interrogation that they had received the cocaine packages from an acquaintance on Walking Street in Pattaya for personal consumption. 

They have since been taken to the Pattaya City Police Station for further legal proceedings, while authorities continue investigation to determine the source of the cocaine and whether other individuals were involved. 

The suspects were the latest Nigerian nationals arrested for crimes in the Southeast Asian country. Thai police in May arrested six Nigerians in Nonthaburi over their alleged involvement in romance scams and confiscated phones, laptops, bank notes and other gadgets retrieved from them.

The Peoples Gazette reported that another six Nigerian citizens and one Senegalese were apprehended in Thailand for visa overstay and immigration violations in July. In August, one Nigerian man was arrested for the same offence.