Thai police have arrested a man identified as Uthai Khanaphiwat in Phitsanulok in connection with the delivery of a parcel containing heroin to the Thai flight attendant known as Mina. The arrest took place at the old municipal bus terminal in Phitsanulok at 22:30 on 3 July, as investigators continued a widening narcotics investigation linked to an alleged international drug trafficking operation. Get today's headlines by email At 20:00 on 4 July, officers at the Metropolitan Police Bureau formally charged 47-year-old Uthai Khanaphiwat and Atirat Suphian with jointly possessing Category 1 narcotics (heroin) with intent to sell without authorisation for commercial purposes. They were also charged with jointly exporting Category 1 narcotics from Thailand, with police alleging the offences posed a threat to public safety and national security. The investigation stems from events on 22 June, when Uthai allegedly delivered a parcel containing heroin to the condominium of flight attendant Mina in Bangkok’s Bang Na district. Police said a 59-year-old driver, Atirat, who transported the suspect to the location, identified Uthai, who was wearing a blue hooded sweatshirt, as the man who carried the parcel into the building. Investigators said that testimony helped support surveillance operations which led to Uthai’s arrest in Phitsanulok. Police have also confirmed that senior officers carried out a search of a suspected hideout linked to the case in Ayutthaya. At 15:00 on 4 July, a coordinated operation involving Pol Gen Samran Nualma, Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police and head of the Narcotics Suppression Centre, Pol Lt Gen Siam Boonsom, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, Pol Lt Gen Noppasin Punsawat, Pol Maj Gen Theeradej Thamsuthee and Pol Maj Gen Somboon Tienkhao, together with forensic officers, began further searches and evidence collection at locations connected to the investigation. Matichon reported that police said the operation is aimed at identifying additional evidence linked to the drug network and confirming the accused’s role in the alleged distribution chain. Investigators are also attempting to establish the others involved in organising the shipment and to trace the origin and intended destination of the heroin. Picture courtesy of Matichon Related stories Driver-held-over-flight-attendants-parcel-delivery Thai-flight-attendant-held-over-heroin-at-Melbourne-airport Join the discussion? Already a member? Adapted by ASEAN Now Matichon 5 July 2026
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