The arrests
Officers of the Narcotics Suppression Bureau, the Suvarnabhumi narcotics control unit and Customs arrested three foreigners at Suvarnabhumi Airport on 1 and 2 November 2024 as they tried to smuggle 89 kg of cannabis out of Thailand to Europe.[1][2] The operation belonged to the Airport Interdiction Task Force, which had been watching foreigners using Thailand as a transit route for cannabis bound for Europe.[2]
On 1 November, officers arrested a Singaporean man with 19 kg of cannabis buds hidden in his luggage.[1][2] Under questioning he said he had been paid to carry the cannabis by a Malaysian couple.[1] On 2 November, officers detained that Malaysian couple, who were booked from Bangkok to Singapore en route to London, and found 70 kg of compressed cannabis buds in four bags.[1][2]
What they face
The three were charged with attempting to take cannabis buds out of the kingdom without a licence and failing to declare the goods under customs law.[1][2] They face up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to 1.5 million baht (about US$45,000).[1] ONCB secretary-general Panurat Lakboon said the arrests came from close coordination between the agencies watching airports as transit points for international trafficking, and asked the public to report suspicious behaviour to the ONCB hotline.[1][2]
