Drug gang members arrested after clever scheme to smuggle cocaine into top party city foiled by cops

Officials in Thailand discovered hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of cocaine, allegedly smuggled in from the U.S. in clothing racks, according to local media reports. 

The secretary general of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board in Bangkok, Police Lt. Gen. Phanurat Lakboon, said in a press conference earlier this month that officials arrested three Nigerian men after seizing 5,360 grams of cocaine from a flight that originated in the U.S. and landed in Bangkok, Thai newspaper Khaosod reported. 

The cocaine is worth an estimated 16 million Thai baht, or roughly $450,000, according to local reports.  

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The bust was initially spurred by the Customs Department’s Airport Interdiction Task Force at the Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok on March 7. 

The three Nigerian suspects were reportedly waiting to collect the clothing racks after the shipment landed in Thailand and made its way through customs. The cocaine was concealed in the clothes racks' metal pipes, photos show. 

Officials said the suspects are involved in a gang that sells drugs and is allegedly involved in human trafficking on Soi Nana Road in Bangkok, the Bangkok Post reported. 

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The Office of the Narcotics Control Board recently began cracking down on illegal activity along the road, according to the outlet. 

The drugs found in the clothes racks were intended to be sold in nightclubs to locals and tourists, according to media reports. 

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The identities of the three suspects have not been released. They are in police custody and allegedly linked to at least four other cases involving illegal cocaine and ecstasy pills. The suspects have reportedly colluded with a Western African gang since 2020 to bring illicit drugs into Thailand. 

Bangkok has a lively party scene, including multiple red-light districts and clubs that attract both locals and tourists from around the world. The city is often listed alongside cities such as Ibiza, Las Vegas and São Paulo for best party scene and nightlife.