Suvarnabhumi International Airport has clarified that its checked baggage screening system operates according to aviation security standards, following reports that a Thai flight attendant was arrested in Australia after officials found heroin in her luggage lining at Melbourne Airport.
In a statement posted on its Facebook page yesterday, June 29, the airport said a review found the cabin crew member’s checked baggage passed through the outbound Explosive Detection System (EDS), which detected no explosives or explosive materials, allowing the baggage to be loaded onto the aircraft.
The EDS is designed primarily to detect explosives and explosive materials rather than illegal drugs, the statement said. Instead, narcotics interdiction relies on intelligence-led operations coordinated among multiple agencies.
The airport said it continues to enforce strict aviation security measures alongside anti-drug operations on both arriving and departing flights through the Airport Interdiction Task Force (AITF), comprising the Office of the Narcotics Control Board, the Customs Department, Immigration Bureau Division 2 and Suvarnabhumi Airport Police Station.
According to the statement, the participating agencies share investigative and intelligence information, conduct risk analysis and carry out intensive screening of suspected individuals as part of coordinated efforts to prevent drug trafficking through the airport.
It also welcomed public feedback to help strengthen security procedures and anti-drug measures, while pledging to work with security and law enforcement agencies to further enhance efforts to prevent narcotics smuggling through Thai airports.
The airport said the cooperation has produced measurable results. From 2025 to the present, authorities have arrested more than 23 people for attempting to smuggle illegal drugs through Suvarnabhumi Airport and seized 211 kilogrammes of narcotics.
It reaffirmed its commitment to supporting security and law enforcement agencies in tackling transnational drug trafficking while continuing to strengthen Thailand’s aviation security standards.
In similar news, a Turkish man was arrested at Suvarnabhumi Airport after Thai Customs officers allegedly found around 12 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed inside coffee bags and chocolate packaging in luggage arriving from Brazil.
The story Suvarnabhumi says baggage scanners target explosives, not drugs as seen on Thaiger News.
