A Russian man who allegedly plastered buildings with QR code stickers to sell drugs to tourists has been arrested in southern Thailand.

Semen Kasparian, 26, reportedly stuck the homemade flyers across the holiday island of Phuket to advertise an online narcotics market.

Police launched an investigation and tracked the suspected trafficker down at the 3 Tigers Resort & Hostel on the neighbouring 'White Lotus' island Koh Samui.

Officers raided the hotel at around 2:30 am local time. Upon seeing the cops, Semen tried to flee to the back of the building but was immediately caught.

Police found more QR stickers in his room, as well as photos on his phone that showed him attaching the stickers in public areas.

Semen claimed he was recruited through a Telegram black market chat popular among Russians, and earned around 1 USD in cryptocurrency per sticker posted. He added he has earned 300 USD working for three days.

Police Lieutenant General Phanumas Boonyalak, commissioner of the Immigration Bureau, said: ‘The suspect was charged with advertising illegal drugs. He was handed over to the case officer at Choeng Thale Police Station for further legal action.'

Police were expanding the investigation to find other suspects involved in the drug deliveries.

The scheme was exposed by Phuket MP Chalermpong Saengdee, who warned authorities of the 'new form of drug trafficking' spreading on Phuket.

The politician urged a crackdown as Russian gangs are allegedly using QR code stickers to sell illegal drugs across Phuket, placing cartoon-style labels in tourist hotspots that link to a website where narcotics can be bought via cryptocurrency. Once payment is made, customers reportedly receive GPS coordinates to collect the contraband.

The once-pristine island of Phuket has been marred by over-tourism as the Thai government implements a visa-free scheme to boost revenue following the barren pandemic years.

Angry locals claim the push for tourist dollars has attracted crowds of 'low-quality' visitors from Russia, India and Australia. There are also fears that the island has become an enclave of criminal activity, with police unable to control street fights and more organised ruffians setting up rackets among local businesses.