Japanese Prosecutors Drop Charges Against Thai Woman in Drug Case
Japanese prosecutors have dropped charges against a Thai woman arrested at Fukuoka Airport in July with methamphetamine hidden in coffee sachets, determining she was unknowingly used as a courier. Authorities are now investigating the smugg
FUKUOKA, Japan — Japanese prosecutors have decided not to indict a 28-year-old Thai woman arrested at Fukuoka Airport after methamphetamine was found hidden in coffee sachets in her luggage, Thai authorities said.
The woman was detained on 12 July after airport officials discovered the drugs in items she had agreed to carry for a Thai person living in Japan. Her family appealed for assistance, saying she may have been used by a cross-border drug-smuggling network.
Areepak Ngeonbamrung, deputy secretary-general and spokesperson for Thailand's Office of the Narcotics Control Board, said Japanese police had informed Thai authorities that prosecutors would not pursue a case against her.
While officials are still seeking the full reasoning behind the decision, preliminary information indicates that prosecutors believed the woman had no intent to smuggle drugs and was not involved in an international trafficking network. She had no previous record of drug-related offences and was believed to have been unaware that narcotics had been concealed in the items she was carrying, Areepak said.
Japanese immigration police will now coordinate with Thailand's Department of Consular Affairs to confirm that she has been cleared of the drug case and arrange her return to Thailand.
The ONCB said it would focus on tracing those behind the suspected trafficking network. Thailand's Narcotics Suppression Bureau will handle any further criminal investigation.
Authorities are also examining whether the woman could face any customs-related charges in Thailand once she returns, as well as the role of a male delivery rider who brought the parcel to her home. Investigators said CCTV footage showed that the rider delivered the parcel by car and had apparently been hired for the job. Police said they had identified further details of his movements but had yet to hear from him.
A photo of the package in question along with a standard receipt message from Grab, a popular delivery service. Investigators will determine whether there is sufficient evidence to seek an arrest warrant.
