Police find 24kg of heroin hidden in silk clothes and coffee packets bound for Australia and Taiwan
Thai police found heroin hidden inside silk clothing and coffee sachets bound for Australia and Taiwan.
Narcotics officers seized the parcels in separate locations in the capital Bangkok before they could be shipped overseas.
The operation began after the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) seized two packages with eight kilogrammes of heroin hidden in local products destined for Australia, on June 30.
Investigators traced the parcels to Loei province, around 340 miles away, where they found that three more boxes had been sent to Bangkok on July 1.
Two were delivered to Bangkok's Bang Kapi district, with heroin tucked inside silk clothing bound for Taiwan.
Another box was seized in Ratchathewi district, with the cocaine hidden inside coffee packets and jackets to be shipped to Australia.
Police said the total confiscated haul weighed 24.38 kilogrammes (53.7 lbs).
They said the individual behind the shipments was a Thai national wanted for fraud in Tak province.
On July 2, authorities raided three properties in Loei and Nakhon Phanom provinces linked to the parcel shipments and bank accounts used to receive payments.
They detained a suspect, who allegedly confessed that he and his Lao wife were paid to send the parcels.
Police said the case shows Thailand's role as a key transit route for international drug trafficking.
Police Major Suriya Singkamol, secretary-general of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board, said: ‘Thailand shares borders with the Golden Triangle, which is a major production area for narcotics such as methamphetamine pills, crystal meth, heroin and ketamine.
‘It also serves as a strategic hub for the ASEAN region, with a convenient transport network connecting to other regions through land routes, airports, seaports and international postal services.
‘Cooperation between domestic and international agencies in integrating intelligence and operations is vital to suppressing and intercepting narcotics at every level of the trade.
‘We will continue expanding the investigation into drug trafficking networks and bring those involved in these operations to justice.'
The bust came as Australian police met with Thai narcotics officials for a probe into a Thai air hostess reportedly caught with heroin in Australia.
Australian Federal Police and Australian Border Force delegates arrived at the ONCB in Bangkok on July 1 to investigate a suspected transnational drug syndicate.
The meeting followed the arrest of 26-year-old former beauty queen Mina Kondo at Melbourne Airport on June 25 with heroin allegedly hidden inside 12 tote bags.
Authorities are working to identify the intended recipient and dismantle the transnational trafficking network operating between Thailand and Australia.
Mina remains in custody after being denied bail and is due to appear before the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on September 14.
