5 Vietnamese nationals arrested after hidden heroin parcels uncovered
Officers from the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) and the Airport Interdiction Task Force (AITF) joined forces to dismantle a drug trafficking network operating in Thailand, leading to the arrest of five Vietnamese suspects involved in sending heroin to Australia.
AITF officers inspected outbound parcels destined for Australia at the Suvarnabhumi Airport Free Zone when they detected irregularities in one package. Inside the cardboard box, officers discovered a concealed compartment containing heroin.
A total of 1.52 kilogrammes of heroin was seized from the parcel. An immediate investigation was launched to identify and arrest the senders.
The operation led to the arrest of two Vietnamese men who were attempting to send more parcels at a post office inside a shopping mall in the Lat Phrao area of Bangkok. Officers found the same concealment method used and seized an additional 1.4 kilogrammes of heroin.
The team expanded the investigation and arrested two more Vietnamese suspects who were acting as lookouts inside the mall.
Officers then carried out raids at three locations linked to the suspects in Samut Prakan and Bangkok. At the first location, a condominium in Samut Prakan, officers found 2 grammes of ketamine.
A second raid was conducted at a condominium in the Bang Na area, where another Vietnamese national was arrested.
A large quantity of drugs was seized at this location, including 75 grammes of ketamine, 107 grammes of crystal meth, 1.7 kilogrammes of MDMA, 309 ecstasy pills, 230 grammes of cocaine and 380 grammes of nimetazepam.
Officers also seized packaging equipment such as digital scales and sealing machines, along with parcel receipts, mobile phones and a laptop.
No illegal items were found at the third location, a rented room in the Lat Phrao area.
In a related operation, ONCB officers arrested two Japanese men on November 22 in separate locations in Bangkok over their involvement in a transnational drug trafficking ring linked to a Yakuza network. The group was found smuggling drugs to South Korea, and a South Korean suspect connected to the case remains at large.
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