Travellers leaving Thailand who agree to carry bags, snacks or other goods for strangers could unknowingly become drug-trafficking mules, police have warned, as criminal groups increasingly conceal narcotics in ordinary Thai products. The warning follows high-profile cases including a female flight attendant arrested in Australia after heroin was found inside an elephant-patterned cloth bag she had agreed to carry. In another case, a person was asked to take several jars of tamarind pulp to Japan, but became suspicious before leaving and found methamphetamine, or ice, hidden inside. Everyday products used as cover Pol Maj Gen Theeradet Thamsuthee, deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau and deputy director of its drug prevention and suppression centre, said checks on goods leaving Thailand had become stricter through co-operation and intelligence-sharing between agencies. He said the trend was positive. However, smugglers continually adapt their methods. Goods commonly used to hide drugs include recognisable Thai souvenirs such as elephant bags, snacks and coffee, with narcotics concealed in boxes or built into the products themselves. Those accepting items to carry abroad should inspect them closely, police said. This includes looking for signs that packaging has been opened or altered, comparing the item with the genuine product and checking whether it seems unusually heavy. For foreign residents, tourists and frequent flyers, the practical message is straightforward: do not carry parcels, luggage or souvenirs for people you do not know well, even if they appear to be harmless gifts or popular Thai products. Drug offences can bring severe consequences in destination countries as well as in Thailand. Australia remains a key destination Police said drug networks usually operate in clearly separated roles, so individual participants may not know one another and the organisation can limit arrests. Theeradet said the same method of bringing drugs into Thailand was still found relatively rarely. Most drugs entering the country are smuggled through natural border routes from neighbouring countries. Customs Department figures compiled with the Office of the Narcotics Control Board and AITF show that, in cases involving Australia during 2025 and 2026, ice was the most commonly detected drug, both in parcels and passenger luggage. Heroin was often disguised in international express post, while cannabis extract, or cannabis resin, was found in parcels. Common hiding places in international mail included parcel walls, toothpaste tubes, skin cream, ready-made tea bags, shampoo bottles, knitted cloth bags and insulated stainless-steel cups. At Suvarnabhumi Airport, drugs were found in hidden suitcase compartments, soap bars and vacuum-sealed tea sachets. Major seizures listed by customs Among the cases, customs seized 33.73kg of ice bound for Australia in June 2025, with a destination value of more than 100 million baht. In July 2025, officers seized 120kg of ice at Suvarnabhumi, hidden beneath safety vests and raincoats, also destined for Australia. In August 2025, an Australian man was arrested with 4.26kg of ice concealed in 12 soap bars and a luggage compartment before a flight to Perth. In November, officers seized 600g of cannabis resin in shampoo bottles declared as cosmetics, 2.8kg of ice in 19 knitted bags, 1.52kg of heroin in parcel walls, and 11g of ice in an insulated cup. In May 2026, an Australian man was arrested at Suvarnabhumi with 22kg of ice hidden in vacuum-packed tea bags. The following month, 2.12kg of heroin hidden in toothpaste, skin cream and tea bags was seized from an express parcel bound for Australia. During the first nine months of fiscal 2026, from October 2025 to June 2026, customs reported 214 drug cases, involving 917kg of seized drugs worth more than 691 million baht. Pictures courtesy of Daily News Join the discussion? 26 July 2026
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