The arrest followed a joint operation between the Phuket Immigration Office and Chalong Police after social media posts highlighted the man’s situation and local residents complained about his behaviour.
According to Phuket Immigration, officers reviewed online posts about a “penniless Ghanaian man secretly sleeping at Wat Chalong after coming to Phuket to find work” before working with Chalong Police to identify the man as 37-year-old ‘Mr Boakye’, whose surname was withheld.
Immigration officers said the man first entered Thailand in 2024 and worked as a language teacher in Bangkok before moving to Phuket in 2026 to teach at a school in Patong.
However, officials claimed he later left his teaching position after developing problems with the school, alleging the issues were linked to drug use. Immigration officers said he was subsequently unable to find another teaching job, leaving him without income or accommodation.
Authorities said he had been staying at both Phuket Christian Church and Wat Chalong.
Phuket Immigration alleged that during his time on the island he used drugs, caused disturbances, and threatened and harassed local residents and tourists, prompting repeated complaints from the community.
Officials said his behaviour was considered detrimental to public order and harmful to Phuket’s tourism image.
The operation formed part of an ongoing campaign by Phuket Immigration to identify foreign nationals considered to be engaging in behaviour that poses a threat to public safety or damages the province’s reputation as a tourist destination.
Immigration officers have notified the Ghanaian consulate of the case and have requested the revocation of Mr Boakye’s permission to remain in Thailand.
If approved, he will be detained pending deportation under Section 54 of Thailand’s Immigration Act.
Authorities did not disclose whether any criminal charges had been filed in addition to the immigration proceedings.