Bangkok: Thai police have arrested a Nigerian man suspected of leading a faction of a transnational global drug trafficking syndicate, authorities said on Wednesday. Police intercepted Patrick, 36, outside a luxury condominium in Bangkok's Rama III area. The suspect allegedly attempted to resist arrest by reversing his vehicle into officers to escape, prompting police to break the car window to disable the engine and detain him. A search of the vehicle and his condominium unit uncovered 18 grams of cocaine alongside cash and assets valued at approximately 700,000 baht. The seized items included 178,800 baht in Thai currency, $1,900 in US dollar banknotes, bank account balances, a vehicle, and several luxury brand items.
According to Thai News Agency, during initial interrogation, the suspect partially confessed to the drug possession charges but denied involvement in money laundering. He claimed the funds were generated from a legitimate fish export business shipping from Thailand to Nigeria and that his group was formed for charitable donations. He added that the group's name "Dodorima" means "hello."
Investigators stated that the "Dodorima" group operates as a subsidiary of a larger transnational criminal network known as the "NBM of Africa." Authorities revealed that the network used charitable donations as a front to conceal its illicit activities. Police disclosed that the suspect had been living between Thailand and Africa for over seven years.
Financial tracking revealed that the network's circulating turnover exceeded 380 million baht, which was allegedly used to fund the construction of a large mansion in Nigeria.