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Drug gang members arrested after clever scheme to smuggle cocaine into top party city foiled by cops

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Drug gang members arrested after clever scheme to smuggle cocaine into top party city foiled by cops

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Officials in Thailand discovered hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of cocaine, allegedly smuggled in from the U.S. in clothing racks, according to local media reports. 

The secretary general of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board in Bangkok, Police Lt. Gen. Phanurat Lakboon, said in a press conference earlier this month that officials arrested three Nigerian men after seizing 5,360 grams of cocaine from a flight that originated in the U.S. and landed in Bangkok, Thai newspaper Khaosod reported. 

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The cocaine is worth an estimated 16 million Thai baht, or roughly $450,000, according to local reports.  

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Eagle-eyed customs workers found cocaine stashed inside metal clothes racks at an airport in Thailand. (Viral News )

The bust was initially spurred by the Customs Department’s Airport Interdiction Task Force at the Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok on March 7. 

The three Nigerian suspects were reportedly waiting to collect the clothing racks after the shipment landed in Thailand and made its way through customs. The cocaine was concealed in the clothes racks’ metal pipes, photos show. 

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Customs workers opening clothes racks, finding cocaine.  (Viral News )

Officials said the suspects are involved in a gang that sells drugs and is allegedly involved in human trafficking on Soi Nana Road in Bangkok, the Bangkok Post reported. 

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The Office of the Narcotics Control Board recently began cracking down on illegal activity along the road, according to the outlet. 

Officials in Thailand arrested three men for their alleged involvement in smuggling drugs into the country. (Viral News )

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The drugs found in the clothes racks were intended to be sold in nightclubs to locals and tourists, according to media reports. 

The Customs Department’s Airport Interdiction Task Force intercepted the parcel containing 5,360 grams of cocaine, worth about $450,000, at the Suvarnabhumi Airport on March 6. (Viral News )

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The identities of the three suspects have not been released. They are in police custody and allegedly linked to at least four other cases involving illegal cocaine and ecstasy pills. The suspects have reportedly colluded with a Western African gang since 2020 to bring illicit drugs into Thailand. 

Pedestrians on Khaosan Road in Bangkok, Thailand, on July 2, 2022. (Andre Malerba/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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Bangkok has a lively party scene, including multiple red-light districts and clubs that attract both locals and tourists from around the world. The city is often listed alongside cities such as Ibiza, Las Vegas and São Paulo for best party scene and nightlife. 

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Private flights account for 30% of departures from Oman airport as wealthy evacuate Middle East

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Private flights account for 30% of departures from Oman airport as wealthy evacuate Middle East

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Long border crossings, SUV convoys and six-figure jet charters have become the new escape route out of the Middle East as Operation Epic Fury intensifies, with private flights now accounting for nearly a third of all departures from Oman’s main airport.

FlightRadar24, a real-time flight tracking platform, reported that while Oman continues to be a “vital” hub for evacuation and repatriation flights, private flights accounted for 31% of operations Wednesday at Muscat International Airport.

As of Thursday afternoon, the platform reported more than 30% of all movements at the airport were private flights.

Semafor reported earlier this week that airports in Oman and Saudi Arabia were drawing ultra-wealthy travelers looking to leave the countries.

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Oman continues to be a “vital” hub for evacuation flights at its Muscat International Airport. (Christopher Pike/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

People familiar with the matter told the outlet that private security companies have been booking fleets of SUVs to take people on the 10-hour drive from Dubai to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where private flights are available. 

The clientele evacuating the region are a mix of senior executives at global finance firms and wealthy travelers in the region for business or vacation, according to Semafor.

LIV golfer Jon Rahm, a two-time major winner, was just one of the wealthy who arranged flights amid the turmoil.

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Rahm arranged a charter flight through his partnership with VistaJet, a private aviation company, to fly the seven stranded LIV golfers and a caddie from Oman to Hong Kong after their flights were canceled.

After a more than four-hour drive to Oman, the crew flew to Hong Kong.

A spokesperson for Air Charter Service, a company that acts as a global broker for private jets and freight transport, told FOX Business the company has arranged more than 10 evacuation flights, with more scheduled, mainly out of Oman with passengers looking to flee Dubai.

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FlightRadar24 shared flights flying in and out of Muscat airport. (@Flightradar24 via X)

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“We evacuated some of our own staff who were just visiting the region, and we arranged transport via the Hatta crossing into Oman from the UAE to get them to Muscat from where they flew out of the region,” the spokesperson said. “The border crossing time at Hatta took around 3–4 hours, as of Sunday, but I suspect this has increased now, as more people look at this option.”

Light flight jet trips from Muscat, Oman, to Istanbul, Turkey, are reportedly going for more than $93,000, according to Forbes, which said the price was about double the usual rate. 

The outlet added the same route on heavy jets can cost up to $140,000.

AMERICANS IN MORE THAN A DOZEN MIDDLE EAST NATIONS URGED TO FLEE

This map shows the targets of Iran’s retaliatory strikes. (Fox News)

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The U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran Saturday, triggering retaliatory attacks targeting countries in the region that host U.S. interests. 

Mora Namdar, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs, advised U.S. citizens to leave Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

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The limited number of available aircraft has pushed up prices, as citizens and travelers attempt to flee.

Fox News Digital’s Ryan Morik and Ashley Carnahan contributed to this report.

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