A German bar owner was arrested for allegedly selling cocaine in Thailand.

Maik Jansen, 42, reportedly ran the sports-themed watering hole as a front for his cocaine-dealing sideline in 'Sin City' Pattaya.

Police placed him under surveillance following reports that a long-time foreign resident in the area was secretly selling the South American powder.

Officers launched a sting operation and arranged to purchase two grammes of cocaine for 5,000 baht (114 GBP) from the suspect. However, he reportedly kept changing the meet-up point to shake off the authorities.

Police arrived at the new location, the Hustlers Diner & Sports Lounge, where they found the German standing near the entrance of the bar. They watched as the transaction took place, with the alleged drug distributor handing a cigarette-shaped pack to the undercover agent.

Authorities soon swooped in to arrest an 'extremely shocked' Maik.

Footage shows the heavily tattooed suspect being frisked by police inside the bar. They cuffed him and took him to his residence, where a subsequent search found an additional 424 grammes of cocaine and a loaded .38 caliber pistol.

Police Captain Prasitboon Boonprasit of the Pattaya City Police Station said: 'We charged the suspect with illegal possession of Category 2 narcotics (cocaine) with the intent to sell, and possessing a firearm and ammunition without a license.

‘We took the suspect and seized items to the inquiry officer at the station for further legal action.'

During interrogation, Maik allegedly admitted to selling the contraband. He alleged a German associate, with whom he shared the profits, provided him with the drugs to sell at 2,500 to 3,000 (57 to 68 GBP) baht per gram.

Authorities said they were skeptical of his testimony and were expanding investigations to track down others involved in the drug network.

Cocaine is classified as a 'category 2' narcotic under Thai law. Importers, producers, and exporters face jail sentences depending on the amount, with the most severe being life behind bars.

Despite the severe penalties in law, many tourists are able to 'negotiate' with Thai authorities who are not keen on footing the bill for their prison stays.

(1 GBP = 43.87 THB)