BANGKOK – Metropolitan Police in Bangkok have arrested two Russian men accused of running a high-tech drug trafficking scheme in central Bangkok that used artificial intelligence and QR codes to handle sales and deliveries without face-to-face contact.
According to the Metropolitan Police Bureau, the suspects allegedly placed QR code stickers written in Russian in several busy districts, including Pathumwan, Lumphini, and Yannawa. When scanned, the codes took buyers to a Telegram channel run by an AI bot that managed orders, payments, and locations for drug pick-ups.
Pol. Maj. Gen. Teeradej Thumsutee, deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, said officers used their own AI tools to track how the system worked. He described the operation as similar to an automated start-up model, with most steps handled by software to reduce the risk of exposure. Police arrested the two Russians on 9 December.
The suspects were identified only by their first names. Ivan, 34, was detained at a hotel on Inthamara 47 in Bangkok’s Din Daeng district. Mark, 35, was arrested at a hotel in Soi Ekkamai 10 in the Watthana area.
Ivan faces charges of illegally advertising controlled narcotics and possessing Category 5 drugs, including cannabis extracts. Mark was charged with illegal possession of Category 5 drugs and overstaying his visa.
Russians Posting QR Code Stickers
Officers seized 10 groups of items as evidence. These included 200,000 baht (about 6,285 US dollars) in cash, a grey Toyota Granvia van, two MacBook Pro laptops, seven mobile phones, 20 storage devices, several bankbooks, cannabis buds in 41 bags, 25 jars of cannabis resin, cannabis seeds, grinders, and other drug-related tools.
The case began on 13 November after an online patrol unit spotted a warning post on the Facebook page Drama-addict. The post showed QR code stickers in Russian offering drugs for sale. Police later found the same type of stickers in several areas across Bangkok.
The stickers carried the text “Thai hub Telegram COCAINE KETAMINE MEPH METH MDMA”. People who scanned the QR code were directed to a Telegram channel, where, according to police, an AI bot operated 24 hours a day.
The bot accepted cryptocurrency payments and, once payment was verified, sent the buyer map coordinates and photos of hiding spots used as drug stashes across the country. The process worked like a treasure hunt for narcotics.
The system also encouraged customers to move into partnership roles. Users could gain benefits by referring new buyers or working as couriers, following instructions from the AI bot to hide drugs in agreed locations.
Metropolitan Police Take Down
Investigators said the group even offered an API for users with technical skills, allowing them to create their own storefronts linked to the main bot. This structure helped the network scale quickly while keeping the core operators hidden.
Police released an image that appears to show a Russian suspect placing one of the QR code stickers on a lamp post in Bangkok.
Investigators spent several weeks tracking the pair. Teeradej said officers eventually found one of the men in Pattaya as he dug a hole and hid drugs in the ground.
On 9 December, around midday, police carried out coordinated raids in Bangkok. They wanted to catch the suspects before they could secure or wipe their devices. Mark was detained with the Telegram app still open on his mobile phone. Ivan was arrested a few hours later, and his laptop was also logged into the same Telegram platform.
Mark denied any role in drug trafficking. He admitted only that he had overstayed his visa. He told officers he had medical permission to use cannabis and claimed to hold a licence to sell it through a company. He said the large number of items in his van had ordinary uses, insisting that the rice cooker was for personal meals and the cat litter in the vehicle was there even though he did not own a cat.
Ivan also rejected the drug allegations. He admitted only that he knew Mark. When confronted with a photo that showed a man in a cap similar to his, he said it was just a coincidence.
Teeradej said the investigation is still active and will be widened in partnership with the Narcotics Suppression Bureau, as officers try to trace any other members of the network and the full structure behind the AI-based operation.
