2 Thai women jailed in Taiwan for heroin smuggling
A Taiwanese court sentenced two Thai women to prison for smuggling heroin into Taiwan in September last year by swallowing drug packages and concealing them in their genital area.
The two women were arrested on September 7 at an airport in Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan after Taiwanese officials said they had received a tip-off about a heroin smuggling operation in August and tightened passenger screening measures at the airport.
Officials said the pair were searched after they were seen behaving suspiciously, and a large quantity of heroin was found hidden in their bodies. Police said one woman concealed one package in her genital area and swallowed 60 packages, while the other concealed four packages in her genital area and swallowed a further 50 packages.
Taiwanese officials said the heroin had an estimated value of about 8.3 million Taiwan dollars, or around 9 million baht.
The suspects told investigators that financial hardship pushed them to commit the offence. They said a drug dealer paid them US$1,000 each when they left Thailand for Taiwan, with a promise of more money if the smuggling was successful.
One suspect said she was expected to receive 120,000 Taiwan dollars if the task was completed, while the other said she would receive 80,000 Taiwan dollars.
Under Taiwanese law, drug smuggling can carry the death penalty or life imprisonment. Taiwanese broadcaster TVBS reported today, March 6, that the court had issued verdicts, sentencing one woman to 15 years and six months in prison and the other to 16 years’ imprisonment. The two women can still appeal the verdicts.
In a related case, a Thai woman was arrested for smuggling cannabis into Taiwan and later assisted Taiwanese officers with further investigations that led to the arrest of other suspects linked to a cannabis smuggling ring. The length of her imprisonment was reduced following her cooperation.
After five months in prison, the woman was eligible to seek deportation back to Thailand. However, officials in Taiwan and Thailand reportedly shifted responsibility to one another, delaying the deportation process.
The woman later sought help from Thai journalists, saying she wanted to return to Thailand to receive treatment for heart disease. No further updates on that case have been made public.
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