Thai ‘drug lord’ has plastic surgery to look like a ‘handsome Korean man’

A ‘drug lord’, said to be a main driver of ‘Bangkok’s MDMA epidemic’, drastically altered his face through plastic surgery to dodge authorities, police have confirmed.  

Thai Saharat Sawangjaeng, 25, changed his name and face to appear as a ‘handsome Korean man’ after undergoing numerous surgical procedures. 

Although Saharat wanted ‘a new life’ in South Korea, according to the BBC, police managed to track him down and have reportedly since charged him with the illegal import of narcotics.

It was also said that last week he admitted to buying drugs with Bitcoin on the dark web before dealing them to customers in Thailand’s capital.

Thai Police major-general Theeradej Thammasutee told The Strait Times that he was ‘importing MDMA from Europe at just 25 years old’, adding that he was ‘one of the main causes of Bangkok’s MDMA epidemic’.

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Before surgery: Saharat Sawangjaeng (pictured), 25, has been charged with the illegal import of narcotics

Police managed to track Saharat Sawangjaeng down and have reportedly since charged him

MDMA is a recreational drug taken as ecstasy pills that can act as both a stimulant and psychedelic.

Police have reportedly been trying to track Saharat down since December last year and managed to do so through tracing the distribution of Bangkok’s ecstasy.

Authorities had also previously arrested Saharat three times prior to his surgical procedures and knew what he looked like. 

On one occasion, Saharat was allegedly caught with 290 ecstasy pills and 2kg of liquid narcotics when previously detained on an assault charge.

He went under the knife after managing to escape detention with witnesses then describing him as a ‘handsome Korean man’ to police.

Last week Saharat, who then went by the name of Seong Jimin, was caught by authorities at a condo in Bangkok. 

Following his arrest, investigations are said to be taking place regarding further suspects beyond Thailand. 

However, in a video of his arrest, Saharat claimed he could not name the people dealt with when importing drugs from the Netherlands.