One of Thailand’s most wanted drug suspects was returned to Thailand from South Korea yesterday, April 7, after spending more than 14 years hiding overseas and attempting to fake his own death to avoid arrest.
The suspect, 43 year old Thapanan, also known as Noo Chan, arrived at Suvarnabhumi International Airport yesterday after being arrested in South Korea. According to the Office of the Narcotics Control Board, he is wanted under 66 arrest warrants and linked to more than 400 drug cases in Thailand.
Officials said Thapanan was a leading figure in a drug trafficking network responsible for multiple smuggling operations into Thailand.
He was known in connection with two major cases, including the smuggling of more than 1.5 tonnes of crystal meth through Tak in 2019 and a money laundering case involving gold trading in 2021.
His name returned to the news in 2022 when he faked his death using the body of a member of an ethnic group in Thailand. After reports of his supposed death were circulated, Thapanan fled Thailand and had been hiding abroad since then.
MGR Online reported that Thai police did not believe the claim that Thapanan had died. Officers later offered a reward of more than 1 million baht for information leading to his arrest, and he was listed among the five most wanted suspects in the country.
Police said Thapanan repeatedly changed his name, using aliases including Athitan, Tee, Wong, Mario and Chung Tai. After four years of investigation, officers said they were able to trace his financial transactions and travel history.
Investigators said his wife and children helped reveal a pattern in his movements, as he continued visiting his family. Channel 7 reported that officers identified repeated travel behaviour, which helped them track him.
Police said he had travelled to Japan and South Korea, prompting Thai officers to seek cooperation from overseas counterparts. South Korean police later arrested him.
Officials added that Thapanan has cooperated with investigators examining the wider drug trafficking network. They said his information could help police identify links and additional suspects connected to more than 400 drug cases across Thailand. He is now being questioned in Bangkok.
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