Glamorous Thai air hostess, 26, arrested for 'smuggling heroin' into Australia

This is the glamorous Thai air hostess facing 25 years in prison for allegedly smuggling heroin into Australia.

Mina Kondo, 26, a Thai Airways flight attendant and beauty pageant queen, was arrested at Melbourne Airport on June 25 when her baggage was screened by Australian Border Force officers.

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 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.

The grim cells will be a world away from her jet-setting life with the flag carrier, in which she regularly posted pictures on social media from exotic destinations.

A shocked friend who lives in the same apartment block that was raided this week by Thai cops investigating the case, said Mina's dream since she was younger was to be an air hostess.

They said: 'I remember when Mina passed the interviews to work for Thai Airways. She was so happy because it's such a high-class job here. She told everyone.

'She is so beautiful and I think that helped her to get the job. But she was also smart and fun. She is so stupid to have carried anything with her for other people, but I think she did it to earn extra for money to help her family.'

Speaking in the video on June 30, Police Major Suriya Singkamol, secretary-general of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board, announced the results of the inspection of the suspect's condominium in the Bang Na area of Bangkok.

CCTV footage from June 22 showed a Grab delivery driver leaving a parcel box in the lobby while Mina was away.

After returning, she was seen collecting the box and taking it to her room as she prepared for her overseas trip.

However, officers found no drugs or other illegal items during a search of the condominium.

Australian authorities detected suspected narcotics concealed in two of the 12 tote bags she was carrying and sent the items for laboratory analysis.

The examination found approximately 900 grams (31.7 ounces) of heroin concealed within the fabric lining of the two bags.

The concealment method meant the drugs could not be seen during a standard inspection, even when the bags were unzipped.

The total weight of the suspected heroin seized from the two bags was estimated at approximately 1.8 kilograms (63.5 ounces).

Following the arrest, Thai police summoned Mina's boyfriend for questioning in an attempt to identify any accomplices.

He cooperated with investigators, but the information he provided did not lead to the sender.

The CCTV footage was consistent with his statement.

He admitted that he knew Mina accepted jobs transporting items overseas and said they remained in contact until she was arrested in Australia.

After he was unable to contact her, he called one of Mina's friends and learned that she had been arrested.

The couple had opened the parcel box and unzipped the bags to inspect their contents before placing them in her suitcase, but neither of them found any heroin because it had been concealed within the fabric lining.

According to her statement to the Australian Federal Police, Mina also said she had opened the bags but did not notice any suspicious items.

Mina told investigators that she had been contacted by a Facebook account under the name 'Rose'.

The account regularly posted in a private group seeking people with around 20 kilograms (44 pounds) of spare checked baggage allowance.

The sender claimed they wanted to send gifts to a friend in Australia and would offer a payment of 8,800 baht.

Mina said: 'I was initially sceptical because the Facebook account appeared to be fake.

'I asked the sender to verify their identity and explain more about the item. They assured me that it was safe.'

Mina said she believed it was a routine 'side hustle' that would provide additional income and did not expect the bags to contain narcotics.

Authorities said they have recovered the full chat history between Mina and the account and are examining it as key evidence to determine whether she was deceived or was knowingly involved in the smuggling operation.

Officers from the Office of the Narcotics Control Board coordinated with investigators from Phu Kamyao district station to search Mina's family home in Phayao, where they questioned her mother and stepfather while gathering evidence.

Her family said Mina had completed a bachelor's degree and an internship in the airline industry before joining Thai Airways, where she had worked for around two years.

Because of the nature of her job, she only returned home occasionally, with her most recent visit taking place during the Songkran festival.

The family said they did not know about Mina's personal relationships.

Her mother said Mina transferred 10,000 baht to her each month for household expenses.

Of that amount, 8,000 baht was used to pay the instalments on a car registered in her mother's name but used by Mina, while the remaining money was for her mother's personal expenses.

Investigators said Mina's financial obligations may have been one reason she accepted the side job of taking packages abroad while she was working as an air hostess.

However, they still could not determine whether she knowingly attempted to smuggle narcotics into Australia.

Police Major Suriya said: ‘At present, we have not determined whether the flight attendant was involved in the operation.

‘We must separate the matter into two distinct aspects. The first is the intention to take the items out of the country. It is clear that she accepted the job and intended to transport the goods.

‘The second aspect is whether she knew narcotics were concealed inside the items she received, which must be established through all available evidence.

‘We have now obtained the complete chat logs and are in the process of recovering all digital data. This is to determine whether she was simply a courier who was deceived or an accomplice.

‘We must consider the motive, the payment she was promised, her financial records and all the surrounding circumstances together.

‘No conclusion has been reached at this stage, as fairness must be afforded to all parties.'

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.