A man from the UK is potentially facing a lifetime in prison in Thailand following the discovery of 1.1 kilograms of cocaine worth nearly £70,000, which he allegedly intended to sell in bars.
The 25-year-old individual is accused of smuggling the illicit substance into Thailand through international mail and attempting to store it in a high-end apartment complex in central Bangkok, where he was apprehended. Authorities at the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) identified the package as suspicious and set up a sting operation after an employee at the apartment building declined to accept it due to an unclear address.
Upon the man’s arrival to retrieve the package, law enforcement promptly detained him. During a search of his room, officers also discovered a quantity of marijuana.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Suriya Lekathikan, Secretary-General of the ONCB, stated that an extensive investigation is underway into the drug trafficking network involving foreign nationals. Personal details of the suspect and additional information are not disclosed at this stage for investigative purposes. Those associated with him in the smuggling network are advised to be apprehensive as authorities are closing in on them.
The police chief emphasized that the arrest highlights Thailand’s dedication to cracking down on drug trafficking activities that exploit the country as a distribution point. The seized cocaine, intended for sale to other tourists at entertainment venues throughout Bangkok, was estimated to be valued at over 3 million baht (£68,469).
The ONCB pointed out that this cocaine seizure underscores the efforts of transnational networks to bring club drugs, such as ecstasy, happy water, ketamine, Five-Five, and laughing gas, into the country. These drugs are illegal and pose serious risks. All agencies have been instructed to rigorously monitor and combat these substances to safeguard society and youth from drug-related threats.
The British man has been charged with importing Category II narcotics into Thailand for distribution. Cocaine falls under the ‘Category II’ narcotic classification in Thailand, with importers, producers, and exporters facing varying prison terms based on the quantity involved, including a potential life sentence.
In a separate incident earlier this month, a young British tourist named George Wilson was accused of attempting to smuggle 9.15 kilograms of crystal meth out of Bangkok, with the drugs concealed in foil tea bags. He was apprehended at the Le Fenix hotel in a red-light district after authorities tracked packages from a British individual known as ‘Snoopy.’ The 23-year-old now faces the death penalty for importing or exporting Category 1 substances.