A crackdown on a transnational cocaine trafficking ring in Koh Phangan, Thailand has led to the arrest of a Nigerian man, his Thai wife and a Canadian.

Police on Koh Phangan in Surat Thani province on Wednesday, January 28, 2026 said they worked with related agencies to dismantle the network following patrols in Ban Tai subdistrict.

At 9.30 p.m. on Monday, the Tourist Police team spotted Mr. Kanan (surname withheld), 40, a Canadian national, suspiciously riding a motorcycle while wearing black clothes and using a scarf to conceal his face in Ban Tai subdistrict.

A search uncovered two bags of cocaine hidden in a stainless steel container placed up his sleeve and methamphetamine paraphernalia in his room.

Phone records clearly indicated that the drug delivery was arranged at the location where the arrest took place.

Upon being questioned Kanan admitted to having obtained the drug from a man known as “Maria KPG.”

Authorities then mounted a sting operation to buy 2 grammes of cocaine from “Maria KPG.”

A white sedan arrived at the meeting point, where officers arrested two more suspects: John Chukwudi Ukadike, 43, a Nigerian national, and his Thai wife, identified as Mintra, whose surname was withheld.

Cocaine was found wrapped in black tape and hidden under the carpet of their sedan.

Mintra later told police that John did not have a stable job so frequently delivered drugs to tourists at night.

Kanan was charged with possession of cocaine for sale, cocaine use and driving under the influence of drugs.

John and Mintra were charged with jointly selling cocaine for commercial purposes, while John also faces a drug use charge.

All three suspects and the seized evidence were taken to Koh Phangan police station for further legal proceedings, as authorities continue to expand the investigation into related networks.

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The Nigeria Police Force, through its National Cybercrime Centre, NPF–NCCC, has uncovered and dismantled a sophisticated cyber-enabled fraud syndicate responsible for the illegal diversion of a telecommunications company’s airtime and data resources, with estimated losses of over N7.7 billion.

Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, who disclosed this in a statement on January 28, 2026, said the breakthrough followed a petition submitted by a Nigerian telecommunications firm after it detected suspicious and unauthorised activities within its billing and payments infrastructure.

Hundeyin said investigations revealed that internal staff login credentials of the affected company were compromised, allowing the suspects to gain unlawful access to core systems and divert airtime and data resources on a massive scale.

“The Nigeria Police Force – National Cybercrime Centre (NPF–NCCC) has uncovered and dismantled a sophisticated cyber-enabled fraud syndicate,” the statement read.

“The syndicate was responsible for the illegal diversion of a telecommunications company’s airtime and data resources, resulting in an estimated financial loss of over N7.7 billion.

“The breakthrough followed a petition by a Nigerian telecommunications company, which reported suspicious and unauthorized activities within its billing and payments infrastructure.

“Investigations revealed that internal staff login credentials had been compromised, granting threat actors unlawful access to core systems.

“Following weeks of planning, coordinated enforcement operations were executed in October 2025 in Kano and Katsina States, with a follow-up arrest in the Federal Capital Territory.

“The operation led to the arrest of six suspects: Ahmad Bala, Karibu Mohammed Shehu, Umar Habib, Obinna Ananaba, Ibrahim Shehu, and Masa’ud Sa’ad.

“Recovered items during the arrest include two residential houses in Kano, two mini-plazas, GSM and laptop retail outlets containing over 400 laptops, 1,000 mobile as well as a Toyota RAV4 vehicle – all proceeds of the crime.

“Substantial sums of money traced to the suspects accounts were also recovered.

“The suspects would be charged to court on the completion of the investigation.”

Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, has commended the officers involved in the investigation for their professionalism.

He reiterated the unwavering resolve of the Nigeria Police Force, through the NPF–NCCC, to safeguard Nigeria’s digital and financial ecosystems, dismantle cyber-criminal networks, and ensure that offenders are held accountable regardless of position or affiliation.

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Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Zamfara State Command, has arrested a 31-year-old man, Jerry Peter, for child trafficking.

Parading Peter and other suspects during a news briefing in Gusau, the capital, on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Mansur Mohammed, said the arrests were part of the Corps’ sustained efforts to maintain peace and enforce existing regulations across the state.

Mohammed disclosed that Jerry Peter was arrested on January 24, 2026, at about 10:00 p.m., in the Lalan area of Gusau, for allegedly trafficking five children aged between eight and 13 years.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect was transporting the children from the Zuru area, en route to Kaduna, Benue, and Benin City in Edo State.

According to Mohammed, the suspect allegedly confessed that he was to hand over the children to a woman popularly known as “Mommy Bishop” through Reverend James Joshua of the Assembly of God Church, Benin City.

He added that, following the directive of the State Commandant, Commandant Sani Mustafa, the suspect and the rescued children were handed over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) for further investigation and necessary action.

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