Phuket Immigration officers busted three Nigerian nationals for overstaying their welcome, one of them by nearly seven months, as part of Thailand’s island-wide crackdown on dodgy foreigners.
Acting on high-level orders from national police chiefs, officers from Phuket Immigration rounded up the trio in a targeted sweep aimed at rooting out visa overstayers and criminal elements lurking on the island.
The arrested men were identified as 30 year old Jude, who had overstayed by just two days; 47 year old Chukwuemeka, who racked up a whopping 137-day overstay; and 34 year old Onyekachi, who took the top spot with 196 days beyond his legal limit.
All three were slapped with charges for breaching immigration law and have now been handed over to investigators for further legal proceedings.
Officials say the operation is part of a wider campaign targeting violations under the Immigration Act B.E. 2522, the Foreign Workers’ Employment Act, and the Foreign Business Act, while also sniffing out signs of organised criminal networks involving foreign nationals.
Phuket Immigration stressed the move was about more than paperwork, it’s about protecting the island’s tourism reputation and keeping visitors and locals safe.
This isn’t the first time the heat’s been turned up on illegal overstayers. Just last month, four more foreigners, including two more Nigerians, an Icelander, and an Italian, were hauled in during a similar sweep. Among them was a man named “Wisdom” who outstayed his visa by a jaw-dropping 761 days.
Meanwhile, a Russian man was arrested in Phuket for overstaying his visa by nearly a year, as part of a major immigration blitz targeting dodgy foreigners.
Officers from the Phuket Provincial Immigration Bureau swooped in on the overstayer on April 8, during an island-wide crackdown on illegal residents and foreign fugitives.
Immigration officials told Phuket Hotnews that the operation, running from April 7 to 11, zeroed in on foreigners living in the province without valid visas or with outstanding arrest warrants.
Immigration officials say the message is clear: Thailand’s not a soft touch, and anyone dodging immigration rules will be tracked down and kicked out.
The story Visa villains! Nigerian trio nicked in Phuket overstay drama as seen on Thaiger News.
