BANGKOK, Thailand – A 48-year-old Nigerian man has been arrested in Bangkok after police allegedly found about 10.21 kilograms of heroin hidden in soap boxes and plastic-wrapped packages, with officers also accusing him of entering the country illegally.

Nigerian Drug Syndicate Dismantled In Bangkok

Danial Okeke was stopped behind the wheel of a white, Bangkok-registered Toyota Avanza at the Ratchada-Tha Phra junction in Talat Phlu, Thon Buri, on 1 October. The arrest came after Talat Phlu investigators and traffic police monitoring the area grew suspicious when the vehicle pulled up. Officers identified themselves and searched the car, uncovering a large suitcase packed with boxes of a well-known soap brand. Inside, police said they found heroin wrapped in foil, with one to three packages per box, along with a further 70 plastic-wrapped heroin packages in a carrier bag.

Seized items included the suitcase, two mobile phones and the Toyota Avanza. Officers found no passport among Okeke’s documents; he reportedly gave his address as Soi Rangsit-Nakhon Nayok 28/1 in Pathum Thani’s Thanyaburi district. He faces charges of illegally selling a Category 1 narcotic for commercial purposes in a manner likely to spread it among the public, plus an allegation of unlawful entry into Thailand.

Alleged Nigerian Drug Kingpin Arrested In Bangkok Following Dangerous Vehicle Standoff

The operation was led by Talat Phlu police superintendent Pol Col Jatuphum Mudsakhen, with deputy superintendents Pol Lt Col Kittisak Yimyaem and Pol Lt Col Phaithoon Upala. Okeke and the seized property were handed to investigators as police pledged to keep probing the alleged transnational trafficking network.

-Thailand News (TN)