PHUKET — Thai immigration police in Phuket have arrested a French national wanted under multiple international warrants for drug trafficking and money laundering, after tracking him to a luxury beachfront hotel in Kata.
Immigration police Region 6, working with Phuket police and the Royal Thai Police Foreign Affairs Division, detained the suspect identified as Mr Ani, 50, on 9 April at a hotel in Karon subdistrict, Phuket.
Authorities said they acted following coordination requests to revoke his permission to stay in Thailand and facilitate deportation, after intelligence suggested he was hiding in the province.
Investigators said Mr Ani was wanted in France in connection with large-scale cocaine trafficking from Dubai to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, allegedly operating as part of an organised criminal network. French authorities also reportedly linked him to more than 30 drug and money laundering cases.
Police said he had entered Thailand on a tourist visa, which had not yet expired at the time. However, immigration authorities later approved revocation of his stay permit after confirming the warrant information.
Officers located him at a hotel in Kata and found him standing at the reception area before identifying themselves and taking him into custody. He was later taken to Phuket Immigration for formal processing and translation before being held for legal proceedings and deportation in line with immigration procedures.
