Thai authorities have arrested a suspected Nigerian drug kingpin accused of leading a major cocaine trafficking network in the Southeast Asian country following a dramatic late-night operation in Bangkok, during which he allegedly attempted to force his way through a police blockade.
The suspect, identified as 36-year-old Ikenna Azubuike, was apprehended on Tuesday outside a luxury condominium on Rama III Road in Bangkok’s Yannawa district during an operation code-named “Clipping the Wings of the Dodorima Boss,” according to Bangkok Post.
Thailand’s Metropolitan Police Bureau and the Office of the Narcotics Control Board said the operation followed weeks of investigations into an alleged transnational criminal network suspected of involvement in cocaine trafficking and related financial crimes.
Authorities charged Azubuike with allegedly possessing and selling cocaine, classified as a Category 2 narcotic under Thai law, without authorisation, and with resisting arrest. Investigators said additional money-laundering charges were being considered as inquiries continue.
Police said the arrest led to the seizure of cocaine, cash, bank funds, a vehicle and other assets valued at more than 700,000 baht, estimated at about N29m.
