The "Drug Wars" (14)-Bangkok, Thailand ca. 1977

E-Harmony Bangkok Style

"We'll just land real quick at the Consulate, pick up your visa, and head for home, sweet home"


In the late 1970s when I was stationed with DEA in Thailand, it was very common for Westerners to come to Bangkok, purchase heroin and try to smuggle it back to their respective countries. If we received information on these people while they were in Thailand, we would work with the Thai police to try and intercept the drugs.

On one occasion, we were alerted by the Thai police that there was a group of Americans in town staying at a particular hotel who had aroused suspicion. The group consisted of one American male and 4 or 5 American females, who the police suspected fit the profile of drug couriers. In addition, the police reported that Thai-Chinese men were coming to visit them at the hotel.

Subsequently, the cops put a bug in the man's room. What they determined was that there was no drug smuggling operation in progress, rather a marriage scam. In other words, the females had been brought to Bangkok to marry the Chinese men so they (the men)could obtain visas to enter the US. Under our laws, this is called marriage fraud-a violation of US immigration laws.

Accordingly, we called the Visa Section of US Consulate and alerted them to the operation along with the names of the suspect women who were identified as various strippers and/or prostitutes. Also notified was US Immigration and Naturalization authorities in the US.

As the operation drew to a conclusion, the Chinese men came to the hotel room and met with the girls. A heated argument ensued as to who would marry whom. Once this was settled (by the frustrated American male, who simply paired them off), each prospective bridegroom paid $10,000 to the American. At that point, they all went off to get married while the American guy hopped on the next plane home.

The next day, a couple of us took seats in the US Consulate waiting room and watched the visa application process unfold. Believe it or not all 4 or 5 couples came together to the Consulate. One of the girls was a tall black lady wearing a mini-skirt. She towered over her new husband. The other gals were similarly attired. One by one, they went in to fill out the paperwork and be interviewed by the Consular officer (who had already been briefed.) As they left, I recall the one Chinese guy putting his arm around the black woman to make the "proper appearance", for which he had to stand on his tippy-toes.

Once the application process was completed, the girls traveled back to the US, while the Chinese guys awaited their visas. Once the girls arrived in the US, they were promptly arrested by Immigration authorities as was the American guy.

And the Chinese guys who each paid $10,000 for the right to marry the American girls? They were denied their visas, of course.