White Lotus drug ring smashed: Alleged British ringleader of a smuggling gang shipping cannabis from the hit TV show island to London is arrested

The alleged British ringleader of a drug smuggling group shipping cannabis from the White Lotus TV show island to London has been arrested.

Adel Mohammed, 30, allegedly controlled the network of Brits picking up marijuana from farms on Koh Samui in southern Thailand.

They had allegedly handled more than a tonne of the substance in a bid to flood the streets of the capital with powerful strains from Southeast Asia.

But the operation collapsed and officers caught 11 Brits, a Malaysian, a Dutch, and a Romanian, who police identified as being part of the network.

Cops raided a luxury high-rise apartment in Bangkok on April 12 where they found Adel naked and smoking a joint.

Officers ordered him to get dressed and locate his passport before he was frogmarched from the building and taken in handcuffs to a cell.

Hes heard in footage of the moment pleading: Im naked, Im naked, no, wait, wait.

Adel then adds: Whats happened? I havent got my passport with me, why? Whats the problem? Why are you taking a picture?

Adel Mohammed, 30, allegedly controlled the network of Brits picking up marijuana from farms on Koh Samui in southern Thailand

Cops raided a luxury high-rise apartment in Bangkok on April 12 where they found Adel naked and smoking a joint

Officers ordered him to get dressed and locate his passport before he was frogmarched from the building

The hit HBO series The White Lotus was recently set on the island, leading to a demand for luxury resorts

Major General Natthakorn Prapayont, Deputy Commissioner of the Immigration Bureau, said that 16 tourists have been arrested and warned that they were tracing others.

He said: The investigation found that several foreigners were involved, with tasks divided among them. They were planning to smuggle cannabis buds out of the country via Samui International Airport.

In addition, it was found that the main players in the gang were British nationals, who came to plan, find accommodation for cannabis transporters, vehicles to transport cannabis, a place to hide cannabis, and arrange for foreigners to travel out of the country.

Adel Mohammed was one of the main players in the international cannabis smuggling gang. 

He was responsible for arranging accommodation to hide bags of cannabis buds and planning to control foreigners who were hired to transport bags of cannabis out of the country.

He fled Koh Samui after several members of the cannabis smuggling network were arrested and prosecuted. He was hiding in a luxury condo in the heart of Bangkok.

The arrest came after Darryl Poole, 30, from Camden, north London, was detained on March 17 at an airport. He was allegedly part of the same cannabis ring.

Police said that 10 Brits, a Malaysian, a Dutch, and a Romanian were caught before Darryl.

They include Antony Paul Mudd, 62, from London, Billy Daniel Harman, 36, from Newham, Philip Edward Goldstone, 63, from West Ham, and John George Canning, 34, from London, who were all detained on March 15.

Shaun Eric Bainbridge, 36, from Middlesbrough, and Mark Searson-Smith, 23, from Liverpool, were arrested on March 13.

On March 12, Mark Siemaszkiewicz, 46, Richard McMahon, 46, Oluwatosin Peace Adefila, 27, and Bose Esther Fakuade, 26, and Malaysian tourist Tick Chin Tan, 47, were arrested and remanded in custody.

Major General Natthakorn Prapayont, Deputy Commissioner of the Immigration Bureau, said that 16 tourists have been arrested and warned that they were tracing others

Smoking is allowed for personal use in private areas, but remains prohibited in public spaces, and it is illegal to carry the drug out of the country

Major General Natthakorn Prapayont, Deputy Commissioner of the Immigration Bureau, said: He fled Koh Samui after several members of the cannabis smuggling network were arrested and prosecuted. He was hiding in a luxury condo in the heart of Bangkok

The arrest of Adel brings the total number to 15. However, officers are still said to be hunting others involved, including Mohammed Azeem Ahmed, 26, who allegedly fled when Darryl was arrested.

Officers said they are charged with jointly attempting to take out of the Kingdom goods that have not gone through customs procedures and jointly attempting to export controlled herbal plants (cannabis buds) without permission and jointly possessing controlled herbal plants (cannabis buds) for sale without permission.

Major General Nattakorn added: There are more arrest warrants and a task force has been set up to prevent anyone from escaping from the country.

The amount of cannabis involved was high, more than a tonne. We are tracing and recovering all of it.

This is a warning to any foreigners who think they can use Thailand to commit crimes. The police will catch you and you will be punished.

Cannabis with under 0.2 per cent of THC was decriminalised in Thailand in June 2022, as a potential cash crop for impoverished farmers and ministers connected to the pharmaceutical industry.

Smoking is allowed for personal use in private areas, but remains prohibited in public spaces, and it is illegal to carry the drug out of the country.

Police have tightened security at airports due to the number of tourists trying to smuggle cannabis back to their homeland, either for personal use or to sell at a profit.

On the island of Koh Samui, the tropical conditions are perfect for growing marijuana plants and dozens of sprawling farms have sprung up on the island, catering to demand from holidaymakers.

The hit HBO series The White Lotus was recently set on the island, leading to a demand for luxury resorts.

Celebrities such as Katie Price, David Beckham and the late Shane Warne have all been regular visitors.