A Thai drug lord evaded capture by having plastic surgery to make himself look like a 'handsome Korean man', police say

• A Thai drug dealer sought to evade capture by extensive cosmetic surgery, police say.
• He altered his appearance to look like a "handsome Korean man," reports say.

A Thai man accused of dealing drugs underwent extensive plastic surgery to make himself look like a "handsome Korean man" in a bid to avoid capture, reports say.

Saharat Sawangjaeng, 25, who used the Korean alias Jimin Seong, was arrested by police in Bangkok last week, The Bangkok Post reported.

Police said they were able to track down Sawangjaeng by tracing the sale of MDMA, also known as ecstasy, on the streets of Bangkok, with witnesses describing him as a "handsome Korean man."

Sawangjaeng was able to evade capture for 3 months because of extensive facial surgical procedures to alter his appearance, officials said.

Sawangjaeng has reportedly confessed to obtaining drugs over the dark net, and selling them on.

In a video of his arrest, Sawangjaeng said he intended to move to South Korean to start a new life, remarking "I am bored of Thailand."

Thai Police major-general Theeradej Thammasutee described him as "one of the main causes of Bangkok's MDMA epidemic", The Straits Times reported.

"He is a drug lord importing MDMA from Europe at just 25 years old. We believe there are more suspects in foreign countries. We will continue our investigation," Thammasutee said.