The music was loud, the streets were crowded and a troupe of glamorous dancers swayed through the festival in sparkling outfits and heavy makeup. To most people in the crowd, they looked like part of the entertainment. But hidden beneath the wigs, dresses and bright lipstick were undercover Thai police officers waiting for the right moment to strike. What followed sounded less like a conventional narcotics raid and more like a scene from an action-comedy film. In one of the year’s strangest police operations, officers disguised themselves as “hot girls” during a local festival to lure an alleged methamphetamine dealer into a trap, and the bizarre plan actually worked.
