Scent to jail

UDON THANI: Busting drug mules can be a dirty business, as police in Udon Thani found out on the afternoon of August 15. After receiving a tip-off that a drug deal was about to go down at the Jaroernsri Complex shopping center, police led by Provincial Police Deputy Chief Inspector Yanyong Wechsot set up a surveillance unit. It was not long before two men matching the description of the suspects appeared, loitering near the entrance to the MK Suki Restaurant on the first floor. When police moved in to search them, they found 107 purple ya bah (methamphetamine) pills stashed away in the underwear of one of the men, who smelled terribly. Police identified the hygiene-impaired suspect as Lao national Thawkaew-udon, 27, a resident of Vientiane. He confessed to having smuggled drugs into Thailand from the Lao capital for more than a year, each time disguising the characteristic chemical scent of the contraband with his own body odor, which was formidable given that he had not bathed for more than a month. He added that he wore the same unlaundered underwear for the entire month, in the hope that the stench would create a force field powerful enough to ward off police who might otherwise search him – and perhaps keep sniffer dogs at bay. There are no laws against body odor in Thailand – though perhaps there should be – and the Lao was arrested on charges of trafficking a Class 1 narcotic into the country with intent to sell. It was not reported if he will be forced to take a bath as part of his punishment.