Police Arrest Suspect in Cross-Border Ice Gang Murder, Seize Cigarettes
Police arrested 29‑year‑old Mahama in Bangkok after seizing over nine thousand packs of foreign cigarettes worth more than eight million baht. He is wanted in Narathiwat for allegedly hiring the murder of a fellow ice‑drug gang member, a killing linked to a failed drug shipment that resulted in the confiscation of 500 kilograms of ice. Mahama confessed only to the cigarette smuggling charge.
On 9 October 2026, Pol. Lt. Gen. Phatthanakorn Buddhasuwan ordered officers from the Provincial Police Bureau 9 to arrest Mahama, 29, who was subject to a warrant issued by the Narathiwat Provincial Court (No. 516/2569) for allegedly hiring another person to commit premeditated murder and for involvement in the concealment, distribution, transportation, purchase, pawning or receipt of untaxed goods. Officers raided a house on Ramkhamhaeng Road in the Huai Khwang district of Bangkok and seized 9,180 packs of foreign cigarettes valued at over eight million baht.
The case traces back to May 2026 when investigators from Yi-ngo Police Station in Narathiwat received a report of the death of Abdulloh, who was found shot with a military‑grade weapon in a fruit orchard in Ban Bulkasno, Moo 4, Tapa Yoe subdistrict, Yi-ngo district. Police determined that six people were involved in the shooting; five have been apprehended, while Mahama remained at large.
Evidence showed Mahama had hired the killing because of a dispute over an international ice‑drug smuggling network. Abdulloh had previously been taken hostage by the network to transport drugs, but the handover failed after police intercepted the shipment and confiscated about 500 kilograms of ice in Bangkok. After the failed delivery, Abdulloh was murdered.
Investigators gathered evidence and applied for the arrest warrant, while continuously tracking Mahama, who attempted to evade capture by changing his mobile phone number and vehicle. Eventually, investigators learned he was hiding in Satul province before moving again, leading to his arrest in Bangkok.
During questioning, Mahama denied being the person who hired the killer but admitted he had brought foreign cigarettes from Narathiwat to sell in Bangkok. He was handed over to Yi-ngo Police Station for further legal action.
