Bangkok— Thai authorities have arrested two Nigerian men and one Thai woman in a major operation targeting a cross-border drug trafficking network that exploited romance scams to lure Thai women into smuggling narcotics.
Officers from the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) and the Crime Suppression Division (บก.ป.), working with other relevant agencies, made the arrests in Bangkok and Samut Prakan provinces. The operation expanded from an existing cross-border drug investigation and uncovered a sophisticated scheme in which foreign suspects allegedly created fake profiles on social media platforms and dating apps.
According to police, the suspects targeted Thai women, building romantic relationships and gaining their trust before convincing them to smuggle heroin and cocaine from neighboring countries into Thailand.
During the raids, authorities seized narcotics with an estimated street value of more than 25 million baht (approximately US$760,000). All suspects have been taken into custody and will face charges under Thai drug trafficking laws.
The case shows the growing overlap between romance scams and transnational organized crime, a trend Thai police have warned about in recent years as criminals increasingly use emotional manipulation to recruit unwitting couriers.
CIB officials described the operation as part of their ongoing commitment to professional and impartial law enforcement in service of the public. Photo credit CIB
