More 100 kilogrammes of narcotics were intercepted in an operation in Thailand, and suspects from three countries were arrested, the Narcotics Control Board (NCB) reported.
On April 1, Thai authorities received a tip-off that heroin was being smuggled from Thailand to Australia, NCB secretary-general Wichai Chaimongkhon said on Thursday. Working alongside a joint task force, the NCB 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 Bueng Kum district of Bangkok.
At the scene, police arrested Kanda Kanthong, a 34-year-old Songkhla native. She 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 3 Road, where police discovered an additional 3.3kg of methamphetamine encased in resin. 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 condominium unit in Yan Nawa district, Bangkok, with 29.9kg of methamphetamine and 63.4kg of heroin.
Following the busts, the Narcotics Suppression Bureau collaborated with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) to trace the destination of the drugs, which led to a Thai-Australian individual residing in Australia. The authorities are currently tracking down the individual.