Thailand nabs two Nigerians over cocaine, visa offences

Two Nigerian men, whose identities have not been disclosed, have been arrested by immigration authorities in Thailand after they were allegedly found with about six grammes of cocaine, Gazette reports.

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

Pattaya Mail reported that officers found the cocaine hidden inside a kitchen extractor hood. It was divided into five small packages wrapped in black adhesive tape. Checks later showed that one suspect had been living in Thailand undocumented, while the other entered on a tourist visa. A preliminary urine test reportedly detected drugs in the system of one of them.

The suspects reportedly confessed during interrogation that they received the packages from an acquaintance on Walking Street in Pattaya for personal consumption.

They have been taken to the Pattaya City Police Station for further legal proceedings. Authorities are continuing investigations to determine the source of the cocaine and whether others were involved.

The men are the latest Nigerians arrested for alleged crimes in the Southeast Asian country. In May, Thai police arrested six Nigerians in Nonthaburi over alleged romance scams and seized phones, laptops, bank notes and other gadgets. In July, six Nigerians and one Senegalese were apprehended for visa overstay and immigration violations. In August, another Nigerian was arrested for the same offence.