Immigration Chief Lt Gen Surachate Hakparn announced the arrest of Bruce McIntire, 67, yesterday (Mar 22).
The arrest proper was conducted on Feb 28 in Chiang Mai where Mr McIntire had been living for six years under the name of Mr Thomas.
The foreigner's quiet life in Thailand finished when he had to contact the American Embassy to get a new passport. The Embassy check revealed that the man's document was fake and he in fact was a fugitive wanted on drug-related charges in the USA. Further fingerprint check confirmed the real identity of Mr McIntire.
Mr McIntire is now facing deportation to the USA, Gen Surachate confirmed.