Thai ONCB thwarts 35 drug smuggling attempts to Australia

News reports today confirm that 35 drug smuggling operations into Australia have been successfully thwarted by the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) this year. Consequently, substantial quantities of methamphetamine and heroin, weighing 973.4 kilograms and 70.7 kilograms respectively, destined for Australia, were intercepted at various airports and seaports.

The secretary-general of the ONCB, Wichai Chaimongkol, detailed that two special units – the Airport Interdiction Task Force (AITF) and the Seaport Interdiction Task Force (SITF) – collaborated in these significant cross-border operations.

In light of these operations, the ONCB director, Prin Mekhanan, was commissioned to head a team constituted of members from ONCB, AITF, and SITF to intensify the crackdowns.

Wichai revealed that these significant operations were a product of a joint effort by several agencies including the Customs Department, the Narcotics Suppression Bureau, the Armed Forces Security Centre, and the ONCB.

Detailing one particular case, Wichai highlighted that drugs were discovered secreted in parcels ready for international shipping. On Friday, July 14, the team, together with employees from an international shipping service, unearthed two A3-sized paper boxes with “Inkjet Paper” labelled on top, which upon inspection, turned out to be containing four bags of heroin wrapped in aluminium foil with a total weight of approximately 1.2 kilograms.

Furthermore, Wichai confirmed that these intercepted parcels were en route to Australia. As a result, the ONCB liaised with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) in Thailand to delve into a suspected smuggling network operation, Bangkok Post reported.

Wichai added that the evidence could be traced back to traffickers in Thailand and Australia who previously attempted to ship drugs via airports and sea ports.

The illicit substances were concealed in parcels registered with an international shipping service, destined for Australia.

Through relentless pursuit, the ONCB managed to delve into the operations of prominent individuals involved in the drug trafficking business within Thailand. These efforts ultimately enabled the AFP to seize numerous assets belonging to suspected drug traffickers in Australia.