Australian man held at airport for smuggling Ice

AN AUSTRALIAN man was arrested at Suvarnabhumi Airport after a search of his luggage found 1.2-million-baht worth of crystal methamphetamine (Ice) hidden within, TV Channel 7 said this morning (Aug. 18).

Mr. Panthong Loikulnan, the Customs Department’s spokesperson, said officials from its Investigation and Suppression Division together with the Airport Interdiction Task Force, the Office of the Narcotics Control Board and the Narcotics Suppression Bureau had analysed intelligence that the unidentified 68-year-old Australian man could be smuggling drugs out of the country.

Upon his arrival at this airport to go to Perth, Australia, the team put his luggage through an X-ray machine and discovered unusual objects within the black hard-shell of his suitcase.

Further check uncovered suspicious white flakes hidden inside the suitcase’s compartments, a shoulder bag and 12 bars of soap.

Using the ONCB051 Marquis Reagent test kit, it was found that the objects reacted chemically and turned brown.

Altogether 4.26 kilogrammes of crystal methamphetamine, including packaging, was found in his luggage valued at approximately 1,276,500 baht.

The suspect was charged with smuggling Category 1 drug (crystal methamphetamine, or Ice) out of the country in violation of Sections 242, 252, 166 and 167 of the Customs Act B.E. 2560 (2017) and other relevant laws.

During this fiscal year, from Oct. 1, 2024 to Aug. 14, 2025, the Customs Department seized over 1.265 billion baht of various narcotics in 197 cases.

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The Australian suspect and the Ice seized from him. Photos: Thai Finance Ministry shared on Facebook