Customs Bureau Tightens Outbound Inspection To Block Drug Trafficking

The Thai Customs Department is ramping up inspections of goods and travelers leaving the country, as Thailand has become a transit route for international drug trafficking due to its superior infrastructure and transportation systems.

Customs Director-General Panthong Loigulnant revealed that the department must prevent dangerous items from entering or leaving the country, in line with the Prime Minister's policy against making Thailand a global drug corridor.

Panthong said the department will enhance outbound inspections, moving away from previous lax standards—a practice common worldwide. However, Thailand's world-class regional infrastructure makes it a prime choice for traffickers originating from drug-producing countries. The Customs Bureau must therefore tighten outbound controls using X-ray machines and K-9 drug-detection dogs, despite the negative perception this may create.

"Thailand may be unlucky," Panthong said. "We're not a production source, but we're near one of the world's largest drug-producing regions. We have the region's most advanced infrastructure—utilities, transportation networks, and ports—which are being exploited for drug trafficking."

Panthong added that drugs passing through Thailand to destination countries command prices many times higher than in their source countries. However, Customs cannot inspect 100 percent of outbound cargo and must use data-driven filtering to identify high-risk passengers, containers, and parcels. In the first nine months of fiscal 2025, the department seized drugs valued at 700-800 million baht through inter-agency cooperation.

Panthong also noted that Customs faces budget limitations for maintaining and replacing X-ray equipment. The Prime Minister has tasked the Airports of Thailand Authority (AOT) with supporting the addition of outbound X-ray machines for both passengers and cargo.

Currently, outbound X-ray systems are operational but inconvenient, requiring suspected items to be transported to inbound X-ray machines due to insufficient outbound equipment. The department has also begun deploying K-9 dogs, as X-ray machines sometimes fail to detect certain substances.

"To be frank, it's impossible to prevent all drug imports and exports through Thailand, but we must minimize opportunities," Panthong said. "No country claims zero corruption—only 'less' or 'least.' Even strict countries like Australia still have incidents, but we want to make it minimal and cumbersome for international drug operations to function here."

Panthong stressed that Customs must balance inspection rigor with Thailand's reliance on tourism—a significant challenge. The department must employ sophisticated screening to separate legitimate travelers and cargo from illegal ones, using risk-management principles adopted globally. AI analysis is being piloted, already yielding significant seizures at Laem Chabang Port.

"Drugs cost far more in destination countries than source countries, whether narcotics or cannabis, incentivizing illegal trafficking," Panthong said. "We recently increased cannabis penalties to deter offenders and make people afraid to break the law."