More than 100 kilogrammes of narcotics were intercepted in an operation in Thailand, and suspects from three countries were arrested, the Narcotics Control Board (NCB) reported yesterday.
NCB secretary-general Wichai Chaimongkhon said Thai authorities received a tip-off on Tuesday that heroin was being smuggled from Thailand to Australia.
The NCB worked alongside a joint task force and was able to seize 80 bricks of heroin, weighing a total of 29.6kg. The bricks had been concealed in plastic resin and were due to be shipped from a warehouse in Bung Kum district of Bangkok.
At the scene, police arrested Kanda Kanthong, a 34-year-old Songkhla native. She allegedly admitted to being hired by Leung Ka Wing, a 63-year-old Malaysian man.
The Malaysian was later apprehended at a petrol station on Rama III Road, where police discovered an additional 3.3kg of methamphetamine encased in resin in his car. In addition, Jai Lhu, a 36-year-old Thai national, was arrested.
After questioning the suspects, Thai authorities were able to locate another member of the gang, Kai Cheong Chan, a 62-year-old man from Hong Kong. He was found in his condo in Yannawa district, Bangkok, with 29.9kg of methamphetamine and 63.4kg of heroin.
The Narcotics Suppression Bureau collaborated with Australian police to trace the destination of the drugs, which led to a Thai-Australian residing in Australia. Authorities are tracking down the individual.