Customs Officers Seize 17kg Heroin at Suvarnabhumi
Thai customs officers arrested a foreign passenger and seized 17.53kg of heroin hidden in food packaging at Suvarnabhumi Airport, stopping the drugs from reaching Madagascar.
BANGKOK — Thai customs officials have arrested a foreign transit passenger after seizing 17.53 kilograms of heroin concealed inside food and dietary supplement packaging at Suvarnabhumi Airport, preventing the drugs from reaching their final destination in Madagascar.
The seizure was announced on 9 July by the Customs Department, whose Investigation and Suppression Bureau worked alongside the Airport Interdiction Task Force (AITF) after identifying a high-risk passenger suspected of smuggling narcotics.
According to authorities, the suspect had travelled from Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia and was transiting through Suvarnabhumi Airport before continuing to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, en route to Ivato International Airport in Madagascar.
Customs officers divided into two teams. One team inspected the traveller's checked baggage at the transit passenger baggage handling facility after X-ray screening revealed suspicious objects inside the luggage. The second team intercepted the passenger at the boarding gate and escorted him, together with the luggage, for a detailed inspection.
The search uncovered coffee bags, green tea packets and dietary supplement packages from various brands concealing plastic bags filled with clumped white powder. A chemical test confirmed the substance was heroin.
Authorities seized a total of 17.53 kilograms of heroin, with an estimated street value of 7.3 million baht.
The suspect was taken into custody and handed over to investigators for legal proceedings, while authorities continue expanding the investigation to identify accomplices in the trafficking network both in Thailand and overseas.
The Director-General of the Customs Department said the arrest demonstrated the effectiveness of the department's risk analysis system and close cooperation among enforcement agencies in preventing Thailand from being used as a transit hub for international drug trafficking. He reaffirmed the department's commitment to protecting society from the threat of illicit narcotics.
