An American woman has been detained at Phuket International Airport in Thailand for attempting to smuggle methamphetamine tablets worth 1.29 million baht (S$51,500) that were hidden inside bedding sets.
The suspect, who was en route to Singapore, was flagged down during a routine risk assessment of passenger profiles.
Customs director-general Theeraj Athanavanich said that two teams of custom officers assisted in identifying the suspect. While one team was monitoring her, the other one examined her bags. The incident took place on February 23.
Four bedding sets with rectangular bundles wrapped in several layers of carbon paper, brown tape, and transparent plastic were discovered during a follow-up investigation. The presence of crystal methamphetamine, or Ice, in the shipments was verified by chemical testing. The drugs weighed 4.3 kg in total, including packing.
The suspect is currently being charged with trying to export Category 1 drugs without authorization under Thailand's Narcotics Code and Customs Act.
Thailand's attempts to combat drug trafficking include this seizure. The Customs Department has recorded 20 successful methamphetamine seizures since October 2024, totaling 1.72 tons and worth 515.19 million baht.
