National —
On November 3rd, 2024, Thailand’s Airport Interdiction Task Force (AITF), in collaboration with various agencies, dismantled a drug-smuggling operation involving cannabis intended for Europe.
Thai authorities tracked the suspects’ travel patterns, noting that they used Thailand as a transit point to reach European destinations, including Italy and the United Kingdom.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Panurat Lakboon, the Secretary-General of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB), explained that the operation led to the arrest of three foreign nationals and the seizure of 89 kilograms of cannabis.
On November 1st, AITF apprehended a Singaporean national attempting to fly to Italy via Singapore. Authorities discovered 19 kilograms of cannabis flowers concealed in his luggage. The suspect was charged with attempting to export a controlled substance without a permit and failing to declare it per customs laws.
On November 2nd, AITF conducted a secondary operation and detained two Malaysian nationals who planned to travel from Bangkok to London with a layover in Singapore. Upon inspection, officers found 70 kilograms of cannabis hidden across four suitcases.
The Thai authorities did not reveal the suspects’ identities.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Panurat emphasized the importance of these arrests, attributing their success to close collaboration between agencies and officers’ dedication to intercepting illicit drug flows at key transit points.
Thailand has increasingly been used as a transit route for international drug trafficking, making airport vigilance critical, according to Pol. Lt. Gen. Panurat.
The ONCB urges the public to report any suspicious behavior to their 24-hour hotline at 1386, helping prevent and intercept drug trafficking.
TPN media notes that cannabis is decriminalized in Thailand, the only southeast Asian country to do so, leading to many trying to export it elsewhere where it is illegal.
