BANGKOK, Thailand – Thai police have dismantled a Nigerian-led romance scam network accused of luring Thai women into drug-smuggling operations after promising love and easy money, seizing cocaine and heroin worth more than 25 million baht. The operation was carried out by officers from the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), the Anti-Human Trafficking Division, Crime Suppression Division, Immigration Police, Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau, and Border Patrol Police. Three suspects were arrested in Bangkok and Samut Prakan: two Nigerian nationals, identified as 39-year-old Mr. Emeka and 45-year-old Mr. Anayo, along with a 23-year-old Thai woman. Investigators said the group operated a classic “romance scam” scheme, creating fake online profiles posing as wealthy businessmen, engineers, or military officers on dating platforms and Facebook. After gaining victims’ trust, the suspects allegedly moved conversations to WhatsApp to avoid detection.
One victim, a 23-year-old Thai woman, reportedly began an online relationship with a scammer using the name “Mc General” in mid-2025. Once the relationship was established, she was offered what appeared to be an easy, high-paying job transporting luggage from a neighboring country into Thailand for payments of 40,000 to 50,000 baht per trip. According to police, the woman was instructed to cross the Mekong River through a natural border crossing in Nong Khai, where accomplices transported her to a hotel across the border. There, she was allegedly handed suitcases containing drugs concealed inside parcel boxes, coffee packages, and snack bags. Authorities said the smuggling operation relied on multiple vehicles, vans, and boats to move the narcotics back into Thailand while attempting to evade law enforcement surveillance. The drugs were ultimately transported to a hotel in Bangkok’s Ramkhamhaeng area before being distributed to buyers.
Police, who had been monitoring the network, moved in as the woman prepared to deliver the narcotics to Nigerian associates. Officers arrested all three suspects and seized large quantities of cocaine and heroin with an estimated street value exceeding 25 million baht. During questioning, the Thai suspect reportedly admitted she had been deceived and had carried out similar trips three times before her arrest. One Nigerian suspect allegedly confessed ownership of the cocaine and told investigators it was intended for distribution within Bangkok communities. The second Nigerian suspect denied the allegations. Authorities have charged the suspects and are expanding the investigation to identify and arrest additional members of the network.
