ONCB says Loei was origin of heroin shipment intercepted in Phuket in May

Thailand's Office of the Narcotics Control Board said parcels sent from Loei were also the origin of six kilogrammes of heroin intercepted in Phuket in May.

The disclosure came in an update on a separate investigation involving heroin shipments concealed in parcels destined for Australia and Taiwan. The ONCB said it had seized 24.4 kilogrammes of heroin in Bangkok during operations linked to another trafficking network.

According to investigators, the Australian-bound shipments were reportedly directed by a Thai fugitive wanted on fraud charges and believed to be operating from Australia.

In its latest statement, the ONCB said the seized packages in that case were sent from Loei. The agency added that the northeastern province was also the origin of the six kilogrammes of heroin intercepted in Phuket in May.

In the Phuket case, the heroin had been packed in plastic and sewn into silk blouses, according to the report. The parcel had been sent to a Thai flight attendant living in Phuket who advertised courier services online.

He told police he did not know the package contained drugs.

The broader investigation remains active as Thai authorities work with Australian counterparts on a separate case involving a Thai flight attendant arrested at Melbourne Airport after 1.8 kilogrammes of heroin was found hidden in elephant tote bags in her luggage.

ONCB spokeswoman Areepak Ngernbumrung said investigators had established that the heroin in that case originated abroad before entering Thailand, with traffickers using Thailand as a transit and repackaging point before shipments are sent overseas.