Latvian man caught smuggling heroin into Thailand
Heroin hidden in metal pipes seized at Suvarnabhumi Airport
Immigration officials, in collaboration with the Customs Department, have apprehended a foreign national at Suvarnabhumi International Airport today, June 23, for attempting to smuggle heroin concealed in metal pipes. The suspect had recently travelled from Laos.
Intelligence from the Suvarnabhumi Airport Investigation and Suppression Division of the Customs Department indicated a foreigner was attempting to smuggle drugs through Thailand. Immigration officers at the airport, along with the Customs Department, were then notified accordingly.
Upon investigation, the foreign national was identified as 71 year old Guntars Lukstins, a Latvian citizen. He had arrived from Laos on flight TG571, landing at Suvarnabhumi on June 22 at approximately 3.20pm. He was scheduled to continue to Malaysia on flight TG417, departing at 4.40pm.
Officers intercepted and searched his luggage, discovering a long red canvas bag containing a field bed. Inside the bed’s metal support pipes, 47 packages resembling sausages wrapped in brown plastic were found. Testing confirmed these contained heroin, with a total weight of approximately 3 kilogrammes.
Initial questioning revealed that Lukstins, who speaks Russian and not English, refused to provide any statements in regards to the heroin smuggling. It is suspected that he acquired the drugs in Laos, as he had no checked baggage on his outbound journey but returned with a 9 kilogramme loaded bag.
The suspect has been handed over to the Customs Department’s Investigation and Suppression Division for prosecution, with further details to be announced by customs officials, reported KhaoSod.
Police Major General Choengron Rimpadee, head of Immigration Division 2, reaffirmed a directive from National Police Chief Police General Kittirat Phanphet and Immigration Commissioner Police Lieutenant General Phanumas Boonlak to strengthen cooperation with neighbouring agencies to combat transnational crime.
The crackdown focuses on foreign nationals using Thailand as a base for illegal activities, whether as a point of origin, transit, or destination.
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