The British tourist was arrested at a hotel in Bangkok, Thailand, after being accused of trying to smuggle 9.15kg of methamphetamine out of the Southeast Asian country
A British tourist accused of attempting to smuggle a suitcase full of crystal meth out of Thailand has been arrested.
The man is said to have received 9.15kg of methamphetamine from another Brit at a hotel in the red-light area of Bangkok on Monday evening. However, officers swooped on the suspect’s hotel room at Le Fenix on Sukhumvit Soi 11 and arrested him.
In a video of the arrest, the Brit can be heard telling police he had been in Thailand for “two weeks” and when asked what is in his bag, he replies: “I don’t know.” However, officers then open the case and after looking under a pair of flip-flops and a white towel, they uncover 10 green foil bags of Chinese tea concealing methamphetamine. “I don’t know what it is,” the suspect says again.
Footage shows officers opening the packages to reveal the drugs on camera as evidence, before performing a quick chemical test to prove it is methamphetamine. The tourist has been held in custody and will appear in court tomorrow.
Speaking today, Lieutenant Colonel Noppha Thongbo, from the Lumpini district station, said: “He was arrested on September 29 at 6pm. He is currently in police custody and will be taken to the Bangkok South Criminal Court tomorrow for detention in prison.”
The British national allegedly told police that he received the meth in a pink suitcase from a British drugs runner named “Snoopy”. He allegedly received 20,000 THB (£460) for his role in the chain.
Thai police claimed he was due to carry the narcotics through Thailand’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport and onto the destination country, where another gang members was due to meet him. But officers had been tracking the suspects for a number of days following intelligence gathered from their movements, they added.
After police checked CCTV footage at the hotel and confirmed that the packages had been delivered, an arrest warrant was obtained from the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) to search the hotel room. Cops allegedly found 9,152.3 grams of crystal methamphetamine, known locally as “Ice”, packaged in foil bags used for tea.
Officers said the meth is suspected to have been produced at drugs labs in civil-war-ravaged Myanmar before arriving in Thailand – a notorious transit hub for illegal activities. Colonel Siranawitcha Intorn, Superintendent of the Crime Suppression Division, Metropolitan Police Bureau Division 5, said the suspect “has been charged with distributing Category 1 narcotics, specifically methamphetamine or ice, with intent to sell in violation of the law, which constitutes a commercial act that contributes to the spread of the drug among the public.”
He added: “We believe he was part of a cross-border drug smuggling network, which is very serious. The amount of drugs seized was also very large. The highest levels of the Royal Thai Police have coordinated to make the arrest.”
Lieutenant Colonel Pongtanin Bamrungsuksawat, the Deputy Chief of the Detective Division, Metropolitan Police Division 5, said he acted as an interpreter during the arrest. He said: “I spoke English with the suspect. He confirmed that the items were his. The charges were explained to him along with his rights and he was handcuffed and taken into custody for legal processing.”
Thailand has become a notorious hub for drug production and trafficking. In the north of the country, the “Golden Triangle” area shares borders with Laos and Myanmar, and has produced large amounts of opium since the 1950s, but the focus in recent years has shifted to the more profitable methamphetamine. Officials believe most of the meth is produced in the Shan State of Myanmar before being distributed through neighbouring countries where prices are higher before ending up in the most expensive markets of Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore.
However, cracking down on drug production has been complicated by the influx of crime gangs from China and the Burmese civil war, which has seen the army take over the country – along with control of lucrative drugs chains.
A FCDO Spokesperson said: “We are in contact with the Thai authorities following the arrest of a British man.”