The incident gained notoriety after a video clip showing a man using drugs on the roadside went viral on local social media channels, leading to the arrest of the Swiss tourist, initially named only as ‘Mr Sascha’.
More details of the arrests were provided at a press conference at Kamala Police Station yesterday (Mar 11), led by Region 8 Police Deputy Commander Pol Maj Gen Saranu Chamnanrat joined by Phuket Provincial Police Chief Pol Maj Gen Sinlert Sukhum and Kamala Police Chief Pol Col Anurak Parinyasathirakun.
The case began when police launched an investigation after a video circulated online showing a foreign man using drugs on the Kamala-Cherng Talay Rd, the high-ranking officers explained.
Officers identified and later arrested the individual in the footage as Sascha Teodorovic, a Swiss national. The 32-year-old confessed to using cocaine and voluntarily entered drug rehabilitation after a preliminary urine test confirmed drug use.
Further questioning led police to the alleged supplier, identified as Chimaraoke Wisdom Mbanaso, a 32-year-old Nigerian national.
Authorities set up a sting operation and arrested him near Kamala Police Station at 9:40pm on Monday (Mar 10), the officers said.
Officers found 0.82 grams of cocaine in his possession, along with a mobile phone allegedly used in drug transactions.
According to police, Teodorovic admitted to purchasing cocaine multiple times from Mbanaso via the WhatsApp messaging application, making payments through bank transfers.
In addition to the drug seizure, police confiscated Mbanaso’s assets for further legal proceedings, including a black, Bangkok-registered Mazda2 sedan and a gray iPhone 16 Pro Max.
The officers reaffirmed their commitment to a strict crackdown on illegal drug activities and have urged the public to report any suspicious behaviour to local police stations.