Heroin in snacks: Hong Kong smugglers arrested at Suvarnabhumi airport

SUVARNABHUMI — Chinese gang from Hong Kong caught smuggling 14kg of heroin hidden in snack boxes at Suvarnabhumi airport.

On August 16, Police Lieutenant General Phanurat Lakboon, Secretary General of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB), together with Mr. Kittipong Kittikachorn, Director of Suvarnabhumi Airport, held a press conference to announce the arrest of four Chinese suspects from Hong Kong.

The suspects were caught with approximately 14 kilograms of heroin hidden in snack boxes in a wheeled suitcase as they prepared to travel to Hong Kong, the announcement was made at the ONCB Operations Center.

Lt. Gen. Phanurat revealed that the ONCB coordinated intelligence with the Hong Kong Narcotics Bureau, identifying the movements of four Chinese individuals from Hong Kong who were involved in drug trafficking. These individuals were responsible for coordinating drug procurement, monitoring and transporting heroin from Thailand to Hong Kong. The Airport Interdiction Task Force (AITF) was appointed to monitor the group’s activities.

Police Lieutenant-General Phanurat Lakboon, Secretary-General of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB), together with Mr. Kittipong Kittikachorn, Director of Suvarnabhumi Airport, held a press conference to announce the arrest of four Chinese suspects from Hong Kong on August 16, 2024.

On August 11, officials learned that the four targets would enter Thailand and stay in hotels in the Huai Khwang and Ramkhamhaeng areas. Close surveillance was maintained. On the night of August 14, officials saw a suspect, believed to be the drug procurement coordinator, receive a suspicious suitcase from a sedan near their hotel in Huai Khwang.

On August 15, at around 7:00 p.m., the four suspects traveled separately to Suvarnabhumi Airport. Upon arrival, they all went to the toilet together, leading authorities to believe that a drug transfer was taking place in preparation for transport to Hong Kong. The authorities then showed up and asked for a search.

40 sticks of heroin, weighing approximately 14 kilograms, are found hidden in snack boxes in a suitcase with wheels.

The suspects were taken to an X-ray checkpoint, where 40 bars of heroin, weighing approximately 14 kilograms, were discovered hidden in snack boxes inside a wheeled suitcase. All suspects were subsequently arrested.

The Secretary-General noted that transnational drug trafficking networks are spread across all regions, with Thailand often used as a transit point to third countries. In response, the AITF and the Seaport Interdiction Task Force (SITF) have been established to intercept drugs at points of entry and prevent their distribution domestically or export to other countries. These efforts involve international cooperation and information sharing, leading to concrete results in investigating transnational criminal networks.

Previously, Chinese networks in Hong Kong have made several similar attempts to smuggle heroin from Thailand to Hong Kong. For example, on June 23, 2024, officials arrested four Chinese suspects from Hong Kong with 14 kilograms of heroin packed in wheeled suitcases, who were also preparing to leave Suvarnabhumi Airport for Hong Kong.

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