Bangkok: Customs officials arrested an Australian man with 4.26 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine hidden in bars of soap and luggage, worth approximately 1.2 million baht. Mr. Panthong Loikulnan, Advisor on Tax Collection Development and Management and spokesperson for the Customs Department, revealed that the Customs Department is intensifying its surveillance of drug smuggling through all channels.
According to Thai News Agency, the Customs Department, through its Investigation and Suppression Division, collaborated with the Airport Interdiction Task Force (ATIF), the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB), and the Narcotics Suppression Bureau to analyze intelligence data. They found that a 68-year-old Australian male passenger was at risk of smuggling narcotics out of the Kingdom. He was scheduled to depart Suvarnabhumi Airport, Thailand, for Perth International Airport in Perth, Australia. The search and arrest team put the passenger’s luggage through an X-ray machine and discovered an unusual object inside a black, hard-sided suitcase.
Upon further inspection, they found a suspicious white flake object hidden inside a secret compartment of a suitcase, a shoulder bag, and 12 bars of soap. Officers used the ONCB051 MARQUIS REAGENT test kit and found that the object reacted with the chemical and turned brown. They believe it to be a Category 1 narcotic, methamphetamine (ice). The total weight including the packaging was approximately 4.26 kilograms, with a value of approximately 1,276,500 baht.
This case is the smuggling of Category 1 narcotic drugs, methamphetamine (ice), out of the Kingdom and possession of Category 1 narcotic drugs, methamphetamine (ice), which is an offense under Section 242 in conjunction with Section 252, Section 166 and Section 167 of the Customs Act B.E. 2560 and other related laws.
The Customs Department spokesperson further stated that the Customs Department prioritizes protecting society by strictly preventing and suppressing the smuggling of drugs and illegal goods, in accordance with government policy. For fiscal year 2025 (October 1, 2024 – August 14, 2025), the Customs Department seized various types of drugs, including ice, heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine, in a total of 197 cases, with a total value of over 1.265 billion baht.