Detectives rubbed salt into the wounds of a suspected meth smuggler by wearing Man U shirts in his mugshot (Picture: Getty/Facebook)

A suspected drug smuggler cut a miserable figure as he was forced to pose with cops dressed in Man United t-shirts just hours after they beat his team,Man City.

Thailand’s drug police jumped on the chance to spice up a mugshot with a Man City fan who was found with methamphetamine pills.

The suspect was caught some hours after Man City’s loss to Man United at the Manchester derby at Old Trafford over the weekend.

He was dragged in to pose with the meth pills and the officers who stood behind him,all donning the iconic ManU jersey following his arrest in Dech Udom,northeast Thailand.

They posted it on social media with the gloating message ‘Manchester is RED’ to really humble the suspect.

Man City was beaten at Old Trafford 2-0 after goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu during the first game under the interim coach Michael Carrick.

City’s Pep Guardiola conceded to their red rivals,saying that ‘the better team won.’ His team has now had no Premier League win in four games,meaning another rival,Arsenal,is able to stretch its lead at the top.

This is not the first time Thai police have featured football shirts with suspects.

Last year,officers supporting Liverpool got to revenge their team’s 2-1 loss when they arrested a suspected drug dealer in a Newcastle top afterthe Carabao Cup game played in Wembley,the Sun reports.

Drug crime in Thailand

Thailand generally has strict drug laws,although it surprised by decriminalising cannabis in 2022 for personal recreational use.Drug traffickers face tough penalties ranging from life imprisonment to death.Hundreds of people are thought to be on death row each year,including British nationals suspected of trafficking.George Wilson,23,from High Wycombe,Buckinghamshire,is one of the Brits in Thailand facing the death penalty after being allegedly found with over 9kg of crystal meth in his hotel room last year.The war against drugs in the Asian country has led to dozens of deaths each year,with conflicts flaring up especially in the Golden Triangle region between Thailand,Laos and Myanmar where gangs and law enforcement clash.Synthetic drugs are dominating the use in Thailand,becoming more prevalent and cheaper than plant-based narcotics,according to United Nations-supported surveys.Drug gangs use ports,checkpoints and paths for transport,which is often facilitated by locals,the research found.