Phuket police seize heroin hidden in Thai clothing sets bound for Australia
Police in Phuket seized more than six kilogrammes of heroin hidden inside 48 Thai clothing sets on April 30 after a suspicious parcel shipment from Loei was sent to a house in Sakhu, Thalang, allegedly for onward…
Police in Phuket seized 6.198 kilogrammes of heroin hidden in 48 Thai clothing sets after a suspicious parcel from Loei was delivered to a house in Sakhu, Thalang, on April 30, police said. Investigators allege the shipment was intended for onward delivery to Australia after arriving in two sacks through a private courier from Chiang Khan district.
Delivery monitored after tip-off
Narcotics suppression police and Wichit police watched the delivery after receiving information that drugs might be concealed in the parcel. Delivery workers reportedly left the sacks outside the house, but nobody came to collect them.
Officers then questioned people at the property and were told the named recipient, Atthaphon, was travelling to Australia. Police said the sacks initially appeared to contain only Thai clothing.
Airline worker contacted police before detailed inspection
On May 2, Atthaphon contacted officers and said he worked for an airline and had been hired through Facebook Messenger to carry the clothing to Australia. He told police he grew suspicious the items might contain drugs or other illegal goods and agreed to surrender them for a closer search.
Investigators later found suspicious material hidden in the lining of all 48 clothing sets. A preliminary Marquis Reagent test turned purple, which police said indicated heroin.
The heroin was seized as evidence in a case involving joint possession of a Category 1 narcotic and attempted export of heroin from Thailand. Forensic officers also collected latent fingerprints from the clothing and parcels.
Thairath reported that investigators are preparing evidence for court applications for arrest warrants against people linked to the case. Police are tracing the sender in Loei and examining whether at least three earlier cases involving Thai clothing or other goods packed in sacks used the same method.
Source: https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/crime/police-seize-heroin-hidden-thai-clothing-sets-australia
