Free holidays for Brits ‘high-jacked’ into Thai drug courier scheme
In a shocking twist on the idyllic Thai getaway, British citizens have reportedly been exploited as unwitting drug couriers, smuggling cannabis from Thailand back to the UK under the guise of a free holiday. British authorities have now called on Thai police to clamp down on this burgeoning drug mule scheme.
According to Police Lieutenant General Phanurat Lukboon, secretary-general of Thailand’s Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB), the illicit operation was revealed following a visit from British ambassador Mark Gooding and officials from the UK’s National Crime Agency. The visiting delegation urged Thai authorities to aid in stopping the flow of cannabis into Britain.
Despite the allure of sun-soaked beaches, willing Brits are being targeted through the Telegram chat app, lured by offers of free tours, accommodation, and even pocket money. The catch? Smuggling cannabis back to British shores.
Lt. Gen. Phanurat noted a stark rise in cannabis interceptions this year, with British authorities discovering hundreds of kilograms of the drug smuggled from Thailand.
“These Britons aren’t being duped, they’re being tempted.”
The ONCB has wasted no time initiating an investigation, with recent busts uncovering a parcel concealing 210 grams of ecstasy precursor, falsely declared as a dietary supplement. The package, sent from the UK, was intended for a British and Dutch national residing in Bangkok.
Raids on these foreign nationals’ rented properties revealed 36kg of cannabis in sealed packages, packaging equipment, and 1.4kg of potent cannabis resin. ONCB’s law enforcement director, Prin Mekanandha, indicated that the pair, in Thailand as tourists for about four months, were major players in sourcing cannabis for illicit export to the UK.
Bangkok Post reported that narcotics police discovered slips indicating mailed parcels falsely declared as containing pillows, further exposing the smuggling operation. Cannabis products were being dispatched via parcel to Britain while others were handed to a network of couriers recruited through Telegram.
These recruits, needing no visas for UK entry, concealed the cannabis in their luggage, unwittingly contributing to Britain’s burgeoning cannabis problem. The ONCB, in collaboration with British authorities, remains vigilant in dismantling this audacious scheme.
