New Zealand man caught smuggling cocaine to Phuket in passport
Police arrested a New Zealand man at Phuket International Airport for smuggling cocaine into the country by concealing it inside a passport.
Officers at the international arrivals terminal of Phuket Airport yesterday, April 10, discovered a packet of cocaine in the possession of the 24 year old New Zealander, whose identity was not disclosed in the report.
According to a report on the Phuket Info Centre news Facebook page, 0.18 grammes of cocaine powder was found in a plastic zip-lock bag, hidden inside the foreign man’s passport. Due to the small quantity, it is suspected that the drug was intended for personal use.
The New Zealand man was charged under Section 146 of the Narcotics Control Act for importing a Category 2 drug into the Kingdom of Thailand without a permit. The offence carries a penalty of up to 10 years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to 1 million baht.
In a similar case, a British man, 29 year old Jamie Louise Swain, was arrested at Phuket Airport in May last year. Officers at the immigration checkpoint found a plastic bag containing 0.42 grammes of cocaine concealed in his passport.
Swain reportedly expressed shock and disappointment when the officers discovered the illegal substance. It was suggested that he had forgotten to hide the drug after using it.
His story gained attention from Thai netizens after a photo of him pointing at the cocaine with a grumpy and disappointed expression circulated online.
Last month, a Nigerian man was arrested in Phuket after his clients were filmed using cocaine at the roadside in a video that went viral.
One of them was later identified as a Swiss national who subsequently surrendered to police and admitted to purchasing the drugs from the Nigerian dealer.
In February, a British man attracted attention at Phuket Airport by rolling on the ground, shouting, kicking his legs in the air, and beating his chest.
His dramatic behaviour drew the attention he had sought because he dropped a bag of cocaine during the incident.
Another British national was arrested in the Patong area of Phuket in January with cocaine in his possession, though further details surrounding his arrest were not disclosed in the report.
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