British smuggler arrested on Koh Samui with 165kg of cannabis
Police yesterday arrested one of the leading British cannabis smugglers following the discovery of illegal dried cannabis flowers in the luggage of his British friend, who had left Thailand via Samui International Airport.
Thai officials launched a sweeping crackdown on foreigners illegally smuggling cannabis from Thailand to the UK, managing to arrest 13 foreign suspects, including 10 British nationals, one Malaysian, one Dutch, and one Romanian.
The operation continued, with Samui Airport officers finding two suspicious luggage linked to the gang. The luggage belonged to a British national named Azeem. He had checked in at Samui Airport for a flight to Hong Kong, and subsequently to the UK, on March 14.
Airport officers decided to seize his luggage due to a suspicious item. Upon forcing it open, they discovered dried ganja flowers inside.
Officers then conducted further investigations into Azeem’s journey in Thailand. It was found that he had checked into a hotel in the Bor Phud sub-district of Koh Samui, Surat Thani province, on March 13 and left the hotel the following day, March 14.
Another foreigner travelled from a hotel in the Mae Nam sub-district and picked up Azeem in a black Toyota car. They then headed to Samui Airport, where Azeem departed the country.
Subsequently, the hotel in the Mae Nam sub-district requested a further investigation by officers after workers noticed suspicious behaviour from a 30 year old British guest named Darryl Poole. Poole was identified as one of the two foreigners who accompanied Azeem to the airport on March 14.
According to hotel workers, Poole had 10 suitcases in his hotel room. Suspecting that each suitcase contained illegal items, they reported the matter to the police.
While officers were planning their raid, Poole hired an SUV to transport all of the suitcases to Racha Pier, intending to ship them to Bangkok to avoid arrest.
Fortunately, officers managed to stop him in time and arrested him at the pier. The luggage contained 165 kilogrammes of dried cannabis flowers, packed in sealed bags to prevent the smell from being detected.
Police requested official documentation for the transport of the large quantity of ganja but Poole was unable to provide any. As a result, he was charged under Section 46 of the Thai Traditional Medical Knowledge Protection and Promotion Act, as well as the Public Health Ministry’s Announcement Regarding Controlled Herbs.
Poole violated the act by exporting the controlled herb (cannabis) without a permit. The penalty is expected to be imprisonment of up to one year, a fine of up to 20,000 baht, or both.
Officials will continue their investigation to quiz Azeem and others involved.
Latest Thailand News
