Thai woman nabbed in 90 million cannabis haul in Taiwan

In a dramatic drug bust at Taiwan’s Taoyuan International Airport, a 24 year old Hong Kong Airlines worker and a 62 year old Thai woman were caught with over 45 kilogrammes of cannabis, worth an eye-watering 90 million Taiwanese dollars (approximately 94 million baht).

The joint operation by Taiwan’s customs officials and the Aviation Police on April 18 uncovered the stash hidden in their checked luggage, thwarting their plan to smuggle the massive haul into Hong Kong.

The suspects, identified as Chan, a ground staff member for Hong Kong Airlines, and a Thai national, surnamed Khuibut, were apprehended just before boarding their flight. Chan claimed innocence, saying he had been offered a free trip to Thailand by a mysterious friend who asked to use his baggage allowance for the return journey. He insisted he had no idea the luggage was filled with cannabis.

Customs officers, however, were far from convinced. The X-ray images flagged suspicious items in four pieces of luggage from an EVA Air flight arriving from Bangkok. Upon inspection, officers were shocked to find the suitcases packed with cannabis, split evenly between Chan’s and Khuibut’s bags—22.655 kilogrammes each.

A spokesperson from the Aviation Police’s detective unit cast doubt on Chan’s claim of ignorance.

“As an airline employee, he would be fully aware of the legal ramifications of transporting narcotics.”

Despite his supposed innocence, Chan and his accomplice are now being prosecuted under Taiwan’s Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act.

The Taoyuan District Prosecutors Office announced this breakthrough after nearly five months of investigation, with both suspects now in custody and facing serious charges, reported Dimsum Daily HK.

In related news, immigration officials in Thailand, in collaboration with other agencies, snagged two Taiwanese nationals in a high-stakes cannabis smuggling operation. The suspects were arrested in Bangkok’s Bang Rak and Din Daeng districts and now face serious charges for planning to export a controlled drug without permission and overstaying their visas.