A Nigerian man, Harrison Chinoso Onyema, who had previously been deported from Thailand for possession of cocaine, has been apprehended again by Thai authorities for illegally entering the country through natural channels.
He was arrested on Wednesday, May 10, 2023, in Phuket by a team comprising Phuket Immigration and Chalong police station for illegal entry, and a digital scale suspected of being used for weighing drugs was found in his possession.
Onyema came under the radar after the police discovered that an African man was involved in drug trafficking and online romance scams.
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They obtained a search warrant to inspect his house in the Rawai subdistrict, Mueang Phuket district, but the suspect initially refused to open the door and flushed the toilet several times, which was seen as a suspicious attempt to discard illegal substances.
While the police did not discover any illicit material on the premises, Onyema could not provide his passport when requested.
Upon further investigation, the authorities discovered that Onyema had been previously arrested in 2018 for possessing cocaine and overstaying his visa, which led to his deportation.
He returned to Thailand by crossing over from Cambodia through natural routes, without any record of legal entry. Onyema has been taken to Chalong police station for legal action, and the investigation is expected to be expanded.
