Thai cops ‘bud’ out Taiwanese cannabis smugglers in Bangkok bust
Immigration officials in Thailand, in collaboration with other agencies, snagged two Taiwanese nationals in a high-stakes cannabis smuggling operation. The suspects were arrested in Bangkok’s Bang Rak and Din Daeng districts and now face serious charges for planning to export a controlled drug without permission and overstaying their visas.
The bust came after a tip-off from a vigilant citizen who alerted police to a Taiwanese group’s scheme to export cannabis back to Taiwan for illegal resale. While cannabis is legal for sale within Thailand since 2022, shipping it out without proper permits is still a major crime.
Investigators found that this smuggling ring was linked to a now-defunct cannabis shop that had been peddling buds online. During the raid, officials seized a haul of cannabis buds, weighing scales, packaging materials, sealing gear, and a bunch of electronic devices.
The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Thailand revealed that the arrested pair have criminal records in Taiwan for cannabis-related crimes. It’s believed they sourced their stash from Thailand. Further digs uncovered that the group used encrypted messaging apps like WeChat, LINE, WhatsApp, and Telegram to coordinate their smuggling and sales back in Taiwan.
The debate over cannabis decriminalisation in Thailand has been a hot-button issue. Although the plant is decriminalised domestically, exporting and importing it without the proper legal channels remains illegal. The previous government, under Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, toyed with the idea of recriminalising cannabis. But after months of protests, including a hunger strike at Parliament, they opted to regulate the substance instead, reported Pattaya News.
The new government, under newly elected Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, has yet to officially announce their cannabis policy. However, they will likely continue with the plan to regulate, rather than recriminalise, its use.
Thailand boasts thousands of legal cannabis dispensaries, and the industry is projected to be worth billions of baht in the future. However, it is still not fully regulated to the point where it delivers significant tax income to the government.
