Bangkok Police Arrest Israeli Man Over Suspected Drugged Cakes and Secret Recordings

Police in Bangkok arrested a 54-year-old Israeli man last Friday on suspicion of meeting women through dating apps, inviting them to his apartment and serving cakes believed to contain drugs. Officers allege he then had sex with the women and secretly recorded the encounters.

Thai media named the suspect as Tomer Kahiri. He was reportedly known locally as "Tom," "Tommy," or "Tom Yum Kung," a reference to the well-known Thai soup. He was detained at an apartment building in the capital's Huai Khwang district during a joint operation by the city's narcotics suppression unit and immigration police. A 44-year-old Thai woman was arrested alongside him.

According to the police statement, the case began with a tip to the hotline of Thailand's narcotics suppression authorities. The informant described an Israeli man with an eagle tattoo on his left arm who contacted women on dating apps and invited them to his home. The tip said the women felt hot flashes and heightened arousal after eating cakes he had prepared, and that sex followed. Police suspected it was filmed without the women's knowledge.

The investigation was led by Major General Teeradet Thamsuthee, deputy chief of Bangkok police for narcotics suppression. With help from immigration officers, investigators found that the suspect's visa had expired 2,095 days earlier, meaning he had stayed in Thailand without valid permission for nearly six years. During surveillance, officers saw many women entering and leaving the apartment. Police said he had no regular job and spent most of his time at home, yet appeared to have enough money to live on.

In the raid, officers seized 15 grams of crystal methamphetamine, 50 bags used for packaging drugs, an electronic scale, a tray of cakes suspected of containing drugs, and a mobile phone. Police said the phone held messages about buying drugs for resale and numerous videos of sexual encounters with different women on a sofa in the apartment. They allege the women did not know they were being filmed. Laboratory results on the contents of the cakes have not been made public.

Police said the man denied that the seized drugs were his. They also allege that during the arrest he claimed to know an influential person who could secure his release within two hours, demanded the names of the officers involved, and threatened to have them transferred or fired. Police further alleged he threatened to kill one of the officers.

He faces accusations of possessing a dangerous drug, overstaying his visa, refusing a drug test and disobeying law enforcement officials. The Thai woman is suspected of possessing and using methamphetamine. The police statement did not say he had so far been formally charged with drugging women or recording intimate encounters without their consent. Both suspects and the evidence were sent to Huai Khwang police station for further legal proceedings.

Thai media reported that the Israeli denied all the allegations. He reportedly described himself as a former Israeli soldier and a businessman in textile exports, said he has two children, and said he moved to Thailand after separating from his partner because he loved the country and found its people friendly.