Nwaiwu Ifeanyi, a suspected drug lord from Nigeria, has now been arrested and detained by Thai police after discovering over 1.5 million baht, or more than N67 million, concealed in the ceiling of his bathroom during a nighttime search on Saturday.
Three additional individuals connected to the same drug trafficking ring were also detained during the operation, which resulted in the confiscation of drugs, money, and jewelry, according to a story released by Bangkok-based news site Khaosod English on Monday, which ENigeria Newspaper learned about.
The 46-year-old Nigerian is charged with selling cocaine in the nation’s capital.
The report states that after tracing his activities and finding roughly 27g of cocaine on him, cops detained him close to Silom Soi 1. Alongside Ifeanyi, the three other suspects include two Thai men, Thanayot Asawamethi, 35, and Nattawat Wangkitjinda, 34, as well as Thomas Giubibini, a Swiss national.
Police found about 30g of cocaine, a car, 1.5 million baht in cash, 15,000 baht in foreign currency, and 400,000 baht worth of jewelry.
According to the reports by Thai police, Nwaiwu Ifeanyi secured a family visa through a Thai spouse and lived in Thailand for almost 17 years. However, the police believe the marriage was staged to provide his actions legal cover.
He allegedly coordinated drug sales through encrypted chat rooms that investigators penetrated before following his whereabouts and making the arrest, according to the article. The defendant allegedly admitted to the allegations after resisting arrest and had to be forcefully restrained, according to the police.
Recall that Ukoma Nuzbech, another Nigerian living in Thailand, was detained by the same Thai police three months ago on suspicion of escaping an ongoing trial related to his involvement in a drug trafficking case in the Koh Pha Ngan area.
After reportedly selling 25.71g of cocaine to an undercover police officer, Nuzbech was initially taken into custody in March 2025.
ENigeria Newspaper also gathered that after being released on bail pending trial, he allegedly continued his drug-related activities and went into hiding rather than showing up for court.
