Phuket –
Immigration Police in Phuket have arrested a French national wanted on an Interpol warrant for more than 30 serious drug trafficking and money laundering offenses.
Phuket Immigration told the Phuket Express about the incident on Thursday (April 9th). The suspect, identified only as Mr. Ani, 50, was apprehended at a luxury hotel in Kata, Karon Subdistrict, following a coordinated operation with Thailand’s Foreign Affairs Division and French authorities.
The arrest was carried out under the directive of Pol. Lt. Gen. Phanumas Boonyalak, Commissioner of the Immigration Bureau, as part of a nationwide campaign to root out foreign fugitives hiding in Thailand. Senior immigration officials, including Pol. Maj. Gen. Chutharet Yingyongdamrongsakul, Commander of Immigration Division 6, ordered the Phuket team to investigate after receiving intelligence that the suspect had fled to the island.
According to French authorities, Mr. Ani is accused of masterminding a transnational criminal network that smuggled large quantities of cocaine from Dubai into Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport. He has a criminal record spanning 32 separate cases involving narcotics trafficking and money laundering. French police issued an international arrest warrant, causing Thai authorities to revoke his tourist visa and initiate deportation proceedings.
The arrest team, led by Acting Pol. Lt. Col. Adisorn Boonchum and Pol. Capt. Sitthidet Thongmee of Phuket Immigration, located the suspect at a hotel in Kata. Officers found him standing at the reception counter and identified themselves as immigration officials. Upon questioning, the man admitted his identity as Mr. Ani. He was immediately taken into custody and transferred to Phuket Immigration headquarters for further processing.
Authorities confirmed that his visa had not yet expired but was revoked due to his fugitive status. He will be deported to France to face prosecution. Immigration officials added that Thailand will not serve as a safe haven for international criminals and vowed to continue strict enforcement against foreign nationals attempting to evade justice.
