S. African in B24m cocaine bust

S. African in B24m cocaine bust

A South African woman has been arrested at Suvarnabhumi airport for allegedly smuggling cocaine with a street value of over 24 million baht.

An official displays cocaine seized from a 34-year-old South African woman at Suvarnabhumi airport on Friday (Photo by Sutthiwit Chayutworakan).

Monica Meere, 34, was taken to a news conference at the airport's customs office on Friday after authorities found 7,000 grammes of cocaine in her possession on Thursday night.

Customs Department chief Rakop Srisupa-at said the arrest followed a tip-off that a foreign national would try to smuggle illicit drugs into the country. 

Mr Rakop said officials were told to be on full alert and they asked to search Ms Meere’s luggage after her identity appeared to match that of the suspect being sought. 

The smuggled cocaine was concealed in plastic bags that had been placed in three chocolate boxes. The South African said she boarded a Qatar Airways flight from Johannesburg and came to Thailand to buy garments for sale in her country. 

She denied any knowledge of the drugs, claiming the chocolate boxes containing the illegal substance belonged to her friend who had asked her to give them to a compatriot in Thailand. 

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