PHUKET: Three Kenyan women have been arrested at Phuket airport with almost 3 kilogrammes of cocaine, worth about 10 million baht, found in their vaginas and stomachs.
The arrests were made after the Office of the Narcotics Control Board alerted local police and customs officials on Sunday that some foreigners were smuggling cocaine into the country via the Phuket airport.
On Tuesday, officers at the airport saw the three Kenyan women and conducted body searches but found nothing illegal on them, said the Sakhu police chief.
However, X-rays taken later at Thalang Hospital told a different story.
Scans of their stomachs showed showed capsules containing cocaine that they had swallowed. As well, the woman had inserted larger bars containing the drug into their vaginas, said police.
All told, police recovered 2,857 grammes of cocaine, said Pol Col Salan Santisatsanakul, chief of the Sakhu police station.
The suspects were identified as Faith Wanza Musembi, 26; Nelly Gacheri Ruuri, 26; and Grace Wangari Karok, 34.
They were charged with colluding in having Category 2 drugs in their possession. All three were taken to the Sakhu police station for legal action.
Cocaine recovered from the stomach of one of the three Kenyan women arrested on Tuesday at Phuket airport. (Photo: Sakhu police)