Thai police have seized around 7 kilogrammes of heroin hidden in drink sachets bound for Australia at a courier facility in Samut Prakan, along with more than 2.5 million yaba pills in a separate operation in Ratchaburi.
The heroin seizure followed a tip-off about suspected drug shipments at a private courier facility in Samut Prakan, according to a report today, October 18.
Investigators inspected two boxes. Both had sender details in Thailand and were addressed to recipients in Australia.
Inside, officers found various brands of instant drink products, but noticed that the sachets felt unusually hard.
When they opened the packets, they discovered white powder wrapped in silver foil. A field test using Marquis reagent turned purple, indicating the presence of heroin.
Police seized approximately 7.003 kilogrammes of the drug, classified as a Category 1 narcotic in Thailand, and transferred the evidence to Narcotics Suppression Bureau investigators.
Officers are now working to identify the sender and other people involved in the attempted shipment of heroin bound for Australia. No arrests were reported in connection with the parcels.
In a separate operation, police arrested two Thai suspects in Ratchaburi province and seized 2,566,000 yaba pills, along with firearms and ammunition.
Investigators had been tracking a silver Isuzu pickup suspected of transporting drugs from central Thailand to the South.
The vehicle travelled from Ban Pong district in Ratchaburi to collect suspected drug shipments in Ayutthaya, Ang Thong and Suphan Buri provinces before returning to a residence in Ban Pong.
Police intercepted the vehicle and arrested the driver, 26 year old Sitthidet Namphuang, after discovering six sacks containing approximately 1.5 million yaba pills in the back of the pickup.
A subsequent search of the residence led to the arrest of 30 year old Thidarat Phromyu. Officers found another six sacks containing approximately 1,066,000 yaba pills.
Police also seized an 11mm handgun, a 9mm long gun, 29 rounds of 11mm ammunition, two rounds of 7.62mm ammunition and three mobile phones.
The seized items were valued at approximately 5,360,700 baht.
Both suspects were handed over to investigators for legal proceedings, while police continued efforts to identify other members of the suspected drug trafficking network.
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