Bangkok Metropolitan Police, supported by 40 anti-narcotics officers, executed a Hollywood-style pre-dawn raid dubbed “Take Down Black-Shadow Nana,” leading to the arrest of eight foreign nationals and one Thai citizen for drug trafficking in the heart of the city’s tourist district.
The operation followed reports from the tourist community page ThailandTourism, which alleged that groups of African men in the Nana-Asoke area were involved in selling drugs, committing fraud, and pickpocketing unsuspecting visitors. Acting on the intelligence, the Metropolitan Police, in collaboration with the Narcotics Suppression Bureau and Lumpini Police Station, launched covert surveillance to identify suspects known for targeting tourists while avoiding contact with Thai citizens to evade undercover detection.
Investigations using CCTV footage revealed that the group operated with sophisticated methods. Suspects were seen concealing drugs in their mouths, discreetly spitting them out during transactions, and swallowing them when approached by police to destroy evidence.
To execute the operation, police meticulously planned a coordinated ambush for the early hours of October 26. Twenty officers disguised as construction workers arrived in pickup trucks and parked near a site along Sukhumvit Soi 11 in the Khlong Toei Nuea area, while others posed as late-night revelers to blend into the environment.
The dramatic arrest unfolded when two foreign nationals passed by the area and the suspects approached to sell drugs. As they began spitting out the concealed substances and exchanging items, the undercover construction workers surrounded them. Upon receiving the command—“Take them”—the officers moved in swiftly. Some suspects tried to flee while others swallowed evidence, but all nine were eventually apprehended along with drug exhibits.
Those arrested include eight Nigerian nationals: Onyekama Frankline, 29; Onuoha Desmond, 34; Nnawuke Lucky, 29; Alahieobi Favour, 35; Ubammadu Chibuzor, 32; Amajioyi Chinaemeze, 23; Udemgba Innocent, 28; and Nwachukwu Chisom, 41. The ninth suspect, a Thai national, was identified as Phanuwat Thanawet, 36, from Udon Thani Province. Police recovered 3,000 baht (about $92) and 3.8 grams of cocaine.
Police Major General Theeradet Thumsuthee, Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau in charge of narcotics operations and head of the raid team, explained that Nigerian syndicates commonly smuggle drugs into Thailand by swallowing them. “They wrap the drugs tightly in plastic, ingest them before boarding flights to Thailand, and excrete them after arrival for sale at tourist locations. Cocaine is the most common drug involved,” he said.
Maj. Gen. Theeradet added that officers provided milk to some suspects after the arrests to aid in the recovery of swallowed evidence. “Once the drugs are in Thailand, they rewrap and conceal them in their mouths. When caught, they immediately swallow them so police find no trace. In this case, we used undercover tactics to close in quickly, though several still managed to swallow the evidence,” he noted.
He further stated that tourists in the Nana area expressed gratitude for the successful crackdown, saying the operation restored a sense of safety. “This group’s activities have greatly troubled tourists and tarnished Thailand’s image as a safe destination,” he remarked.
Police Lieutenant General Siam Boonsom, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, has ordered continuous raids targeting transnational criminal groups operating across Bangkok’s metropolitan region.
