Phuket police seize 6.198 kg of heroin hidden in Thai clothing bound for Australia
Phuket police seize 6.198 kg of heroin hidden in Thai clothing bound for Australia — confirmed details at this stage for Phuket readers.
Police in Phuket said they found 6.198 kilograms of heroin hidden inside 48 Thai clothing sets shipped from Loei to a house in Sakhu, Thalang, in a case tied to an alleged plan to carry the drugs on to Australia. Officers reviewed evidence at Wichit Police Station at 2.45pm on May 5 after the two-sack shipment was seized on April 30 and classified the case as joint possession of a Category 1 narcotic and attempted illegal export.
Courier tip led to deeper inspection
Narcotics suppression officers had tracked the delivery after learning the sacks were sent from Moo 5, Pak Tom, Chiang Khan district, Loei, to a named recipient in Sakhu. A courier dropped the parcels at the house, but nobody collected them by evening.
People at the house told officers the named recipient was traveling to Australia. Initial checks found only finished Thai outfits and no visible illegal items.
On May 2, the recipient, an airline employee identified as Atthaphon, contacted police and said someone had approached him through Facebook Messenger to carry the clothing to a recipient in Australia. He told officers he suspected the items could contain contraband and handed them over for a detailed search.
Investigators then found suspicious material sewn into the lining of all 48 garments. A Marquis reagent field test turned purple, indicating heroin, police said.
Police said the heroin had not yet left the country and Wichit investigators were collecting latent fingerprints from the clothing and packaging before seeking arrest warrants. Officers also said the smuggling network is believed to have used social media couriers in three previous overseas shipments.
Source: https://www.thairath.co.th/news/crime/2930767
