Chinese man arrested at Bangkok airport with 3,000 grammes of heroin
Airport Interdiction Task Force (AITF) officers at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok arrested a Chinese man who attempted to smuggle 3,000 grammes of heroin into Australia. The drugs were concealed in books and powder bottles.
The Thai Narcotics Control Board Office (ONCB), stationed in China, reported the drug trafficking plan involving a suspicious Chinese man to the AITF. Further investigation revealed that the man intended to smuggle drugs from Thailand to Melbourne City in Australia via Suvarnabhumi Airport on Monday, February 26.
AITF officers closely monitored flights to Melbourne until they identified the suspicious Chinese man, whose identity matched the reported information. Upon inspecting his belongings, officers discovered heroin in his possession.
The heroin was concealed in two plastic baby powder bottles while six bars were hidden within the books, totalling 3,000 grammes.
The Chinese drug smuggler faces two charges including:
- Section 90 of the Narcotics Control Act: importing Category 1 drug (heroin) without permission. The penalty is imprisonment of up to 15 years and a fine of 1.5 million baht.
- Section 145(1) of the Narcotics Control Act: possessing Category 1 drug (heroin) for sale. The penalty is imprisonment from two to 20 years and a fine of 200,000 to 2 million baht.
The Permanent Secretary of the ONCB, Phanurat Lakboon, reported that the AITF would coordinate with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the Royal Thai Embassy in Beijing to search for relevant suspects in this drug trafficking case.
Phanurat stated that drug trafficking through airports is an important focus for the ONCB, in addition to drug trafficking at Thailand’s borders. From October 1, 2023, to the present day, officers swooped to sweep up 85 drug trafficking incidents involving Thailand and Australia. Some 116.11 kilogrammes of heroin and 116.14 kilogrammes of crystal meth were confiscated during the operation.
One of the most recent crackdowns on drug trafficking between Thailand and Australia was reported in January this year. A Thai woman was hired by a Laotian man to deliver cushions from Thailand to Australia. The woman’s father suspected something wasn’t quite right with the weight of the Laotian man’s cushions and decided to seek a police investigation.
Officers searched the cushions and found 7.5 kilogrammes of cocaine packed inside. The father’s suspicion helped his daughter narrowly avoid a drug charge and thwarted the attempted trafficking of the illicit substance.
