The Customs Department has seized 193.5 kilogrammes of crystal methamphetamine worth locally 116 million baht stuffed inside boxing punching bags bound for Australia.
Officials inspected the shipment after growing suspicious of the Thai-made training equipment, which is not in high demand in Australia, Phachara Anantasilp, director-general of the Customs Department, said yesterday. Mr Phachara was joined by Australian officials.
The officials found crystal meth, also known as ice, was hidden among 15 punching bags, he said.
Mr Phachara said if the drugs were shipped to Australia they would have had a street value of more than a billion baht.
The sender is a Thai import company sending goods overseas and the recipient is listed as a company associated with the boxing business, he said.
Methamphetamine production in Southeast Asia's Golden Triangle -- the border region between Thailand, Laos and Myanmar -- has increased sharply in recent years, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
Pol Maj Gen Pornchai Charoenwong, deputy chief of the Narcotics Suppression Bureau, said the trafficker has been connected with previous drug smuggling to Australia.
This recent incident shared a similar concealment method, delivery routes and destination. A few suspects have been identified.
Australia consumes about 11 tonnes of methamphetamine per year, Australian Border Force Acting Superintendent Joel Carruthers said on Thursday.
"So there's a market for it, and disrupting it offshore in countries such as Thailand is fantastic," Mr Carruthers said.