Parcel predicament: Thai delivery rider dodges drug charge in watch swap scam
A Thai delivery rider dodged a drug charge after a dealer tricked him into transporting crystal meth and ecstasy by claiming the parcel was a watch.
The 38 year old delivery rider, identified as A, reported the discovery of the drugs to Hua Mark Police Station on January 31 at about 10.45pm. He reported to officers that he was hired by a Thai man to deliver a watch to a recipient at the Maitria Hotel in the Rama 9 district of Bangkok but found that the parcel was packed with drugs instead of the watch.
A recalled that he received a package from a Thai man at his residence on Soi Krunthep Kritha 20 in the Sphan Sung district of Bangkok. Upon inspection, he noticed the parcel felt unusually light for a watch. Consequently, he opted to open it, revealing 16 ziplock plastic bags containing illicit drugs.
Hua Mark Police Station officers told A to report the case to Prawet Police Station, which covers Soi Krunthep Kritha 20.
A left Hua Mark Police Station for Prawet Police Station, but fears of being wrongly apprehended for drug possession loomed over him. A requested a midway rendezvous with the police to address his concerns.
Upon arrival, officers escorted A to Prawet Police Station to inspect the drugs. According to MGR Online, the seized substances comprised five tablets of ecstasy and 15 grammes of crystal meth, also known as Yaba. Further investigations are underway to ascertain the identity of the drug supplier and recipient.
A similar situation was reported in January this year when a Thai father managed to save his daughter from a drug smuggling charge. The daughter was hired by a Laotian man living in Thailand to deliver cushions from Thailand to Australia.
The parcel of cushions arrived at her home, and what made the father curious was its weight. The parcel was too heavy to be the cushions, so the father reported the matter to the police. The father’s suspicions were confirmed as 7.5 kilogrammes of cocaine were hidden inside each cushion.
