South African woman arrested at Phuket airport after 16kg of heroin found in suitcase, police say
A South African woman was arrested at Phuket International Airport after officers allegedly found about 16 kilogrammes of heroin hidden inside bags of pet food in her suitcase.
A 32-year-old South African woman was arrested at Phuket International Airport on June 11 after officers allegedly found about 16 kilogrammes of heroin hidden inside her suitcase, according to police.
The arrest took place at about 6pm at the oversized baggage drop-off point on the third floor of the international passenger terminal in Mai Khao subdistrict, Thalang district. The woman was identified only as Buhle.
Customs officers, Sakhu police and narcotics suppression police carried out the arrest. Police said officers noticed irregularities inside the suspect’s blue wheeled suitcase and conducted a detailed search.
According to the authorities, the search uncovered white powder heroin packed in clear plastic bags and wrapped in black tape. The packages had allegedly been concealed inside seven bags of dog and cat food of various brands.
Police said the seized narcotics and packaging weighed about 16 kilogrammes in total. Officers also seized one Samsung mobile phone and a foreign SIM card as evidence.
After the arrest, the suspect and the seized items were taken to the Customs Office at Phuket International Airport’s cargo building for examination and processing. She was later handed over to investigators at Sakhu Police Station for legal proceedings.
MGR Online reported that police charged the woman with attempting to smuggle heroin out of Thailand and possessing a Category 1 narcotic, heroin. She also faces charges under the Customs Act B.E. 2560 (2017) and other related laws.
Officers said the case formed part of stricter measures aimed at preventing transnational drug trafficking networks from using Thailand as a route to move narcotics overseas.
The arrest follows another case earlier this year in which police detained a Bangladeshi woman at Phuket International Airport after she was found with cocaine and counterfeit documents while preparing to board a flight to Bangladesh.
