Former Air Force officer busted smuggling drugs through airport

PHUKET: A former Royal Thai Air Force officer was arrested at Phuket International Airport on Sunday, as she attempted to smuggle ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) from Bangkok to Phuket.

Chutima Somboonrit, 29, was arrested with about 40 grams of ya ice and drug paraphernalia at about 7:30pm, confirmed Lt Col Prawit Engchuan of the Phuket Provincial Police.

“We received a tip-off from one of our sources that a woman fitting her description would be bringing in drugs from Bangkok via a Nok Air flight on Sunday evening,” Col Prawit said.

“We saw a woman matching the description heading into the toilet. So, our officers followed her to observe her behavior. When she came out, we asked to check her luggage and found five bags of ya ice hidden inside a sanitary napkin.”

Ms Chutima confessed to the police that she had been hired for 5,000 baht to deliver the drugs to a customer in Phuket.

Officials will continue to question Ms Chutima in order to identify the customer, as well as the original source.

“She used to work for the Directorate of Communications and Electronics Department of the Royal Thai Air Force. However, she was fired from her job due to high absenteeism,” Col Prawit said.

Ms Chutima was charged for possessing a Category 1 drug with intent to sell and was taken to Tah Chat Chai Police Station for further processing.

— Kritsada Mueanhawong