Phuket –
Police have arrested a male Belgian and a male Nigerian in Patong for allegedly selling cocaine, following an undercover operation targeting drug networks among expatriates in the resort town. They were both over a year of overstaying their visa.
The Phuket Tourist Police told the Phuket Express that they conducted surveillance and arranged a sting operation. Officers first detained Samuel, a Nigerian national, near a clothing shop on Phra Metta Road.
He was found in possession of six packets of cocaine weighing approximately 10.45 grams. Authorities discovered he had overstayed his visa by 550 days. He was charged with possession and intent to sell a Category 2 narcotic (cocaine) and overstaying his visa.
Police also apprehended Bruno, a Belgian national, outside a convenience store on Rat‑Uthit 200 Years Road. He was found with 2.90 grams of cocaine, both from the undercover purchase and hidden on his person. Investigators determined he had overstayed his visa by 762 days. He faces similar charges of drug trafficking and overstaying.
Both suspects were transferred to Patong Police Station for prosecution. Authorities stated that the crackdown shows ongoing efforts to protect Phuket’s tourism industry from drug‑related crime and to enforce immigration laws against foreign nationals violating Thai regulations.
