A suspected major drug trafficker, who had evaded arrest for three years in South Korea, has been extradited and taken into Thai police custody to face at least 66 arrest warrants on serious drug and money laundering offences.
Police released images of the suspect, identified as Thapanan Thamaratthada, 43, also known as “Nu Chen,” being escorted through Suvarnabhumi International Airport.
Before fleeing to South Korea, he faked his own murder by dumping a body in the Moei River in Myanmar in an attempt to pass it off as his own.
Thapanan was on the most-wanted list of the Narcotics Suppression Bureau and had previously carried a bounty of up to 1 million baht.
He was originally a Myanmar national but later obtained Thai nationality and has used several aliases.
Police said his involvement in drugs began as a user, before becoming a small-scale dealer in the Srinagarind area of Bangkok between 2000 and 2002.
He later built connections with ethnic groups in neighbouring countries, establishing drug production facilities and acting as a key figure in smuggling illegal narcotics into Thailand.
He has been linked to several major drug cases, including the trafficking of 1.5 tonnes of crystal methamphetamine in Tak province in 2019 and the seizure of more than 10.3 million methamphetamine pills in Samut Prakan in 2017.
Financial investigations found his network laundered money through gold shops and other channels.
In 2022, his attempt to deceive authorities by faking his death was uncovered when intelligence operations revealed that he remained active in neighbouring countries.
The Immigration Bureau later tracked his movements and discovered that he had travelled to South Korea. Thai police worked with South Korean authorities to locate and arrest him, leading to his extradition to Thailand.
Justice Minister Rutthapon Naowarat said Thapanan will now face questioning in Thailand over his extensive drug and money laundering operations, with further investigations underway to dismantle his remaining network.
Police will proceed with legal action and expand investigations into related drug networks, the minister said.
