Australian police meet Thai narcotics officials for probe into 'heroin-smuggling air hostess'
Australian police met with Thai narcotics officials for a probe into a Thai air hostess reportedly caught with heroin in Australia.
The Australian delegation included Kristie-Lee Cressy, senior officer, and Brendon Basford, police liaison officer, from the Australian Federal Police, along with James Ryan, counsellor, and Banphot Denmetharat, senior project manager, from the Australian Border Force.
They arrived today at the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) in Bangkok to tackle transnational drug rings operating between Thailand and Australia.
The meeting followed the arrest of Mina Kondo, 26, a Thai Airways flight attendant and former beauty queen, at Melbourne Airport on June 25.
Officers checked her 12 tote bags and discovered a white powder concealed within the lining of the bags. It tested positive for heroin, with an estimated street value of AUD500,000.
Tall brunette Mina, who had previously won beauty pageants, was charged with importing a marketable quantity of a border-controlled drug and possessing a marketable quantity of a border-controlled drug, both of which carry a maximum penalty of 25 years' imprisonment.
She was remanded in custody on June 26 and is scheduled to reappear before the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on September 14.
Police Major Suriya Singkamol, ONCB secretary-general, said the meeting focused on efforts to uncover the suspected syndicate behind the narcotics.
Investigators were trying to identify the intended recipient of the parcel Mina was carrying and determine how the delivery had been arranged before her arrest.
Both sides also reviewed previous transnational narcotics trafficking cases, in which Thailand had been used as a transit country for smuggling drugs to third countries, including Australia.
The officials also discussed measures to strengthen security and improve cooperation to intercept narcotics smuggling between the two countries.
The Office of the Narcotics Control Board has been coordinating closely with the Australian Federal Police, as well as the Royal Thai Embassy in Canberra and the Royal Thai Consulate-General in Melbourne, to provide Mina with legal assistance and consular support in accordance with her fundamental rights.
The police chief said Thai and Australian authorities are continuing to exchange investigative information.
Thailand will expand its investigation into the suspected network within the country, while Australian authorities will conduct their own investigation and assess the evidence under Australian law.
However, he noted that Australian law imposes strict conditions on the international transfer of evidence, particularly in cases where the country requesting the evidence retains the death penalty as a maximum sentence.
Australian authorities are expected to take approximately four weeks to review the evidence before deciding whether to prosecute and, if so, what charges should be filed.
Mina was reportedly denied bail and is permitted to communicate only with her mother.
She is scheduled to appear in court on September 14.
