The man, 44, from Penang, was nabbed at 7pm local time following surveillance by Thai authorities over his alleged role in two failed attempts to smuggle drugs into Malaysia earlier this year and late last year.

“The Malaysian man arrived in Bangkok about two weeks ago and has been under constant surveillance by the police ever since,” said the Thai narcotics suppression bureau deputy head Maj Gen Pornchai Charoenwong at the airport on Monday.

According to him, the man is believed to be the key figure behind the discovery of 87kg of “ice” in a rented house in Hatyai January this year and the seizure of 52.4kg of heroin and 41.9kg of “ice” from a car driven by two Malaysian men in Chumphon in December last year.

During investigation, the two Malaysian men had disclosed to authorities about the involvement of the Penang man in the drug smuggling cases.

Pornchai said the man had travelled into Thailand many times before this to order the drugs. He added that once a deal was brokered, he would go back to Malaysia and wait for the delivery.

The arrest of the Penang man follows another high profile arrest of a Malaysian who is also accused of being a senior figure in an international drug syndicate, at Hatyai airport last Wednesday.

The man, dubbed “Mr T”, from Johor, is alleged to be responsible for several attempts to smuggle hundreds of kilogrammes of “ice” into Malaysia and running business operations to launder money gained from the drug activities.