In a dramatic drug bust at Taiwan’s Taoyuan International Airport, a 24 year old Hong Kong Airlines worker and a 62 year old Thai woman were caught with over 45 kilogrammes of cannabis, worth an eye-watering 90 million Taiwanese dollars (approximately 94 million baht).

 

The joint operation by Taiwan’s customs officials and the Aviation Police on April 18 uncovered the stash hidden in their checked luggage, thwarting their plan to smuggle the massive haul into Hong Kong.

 

The suspects, identified as Chan, a ground staff member for Hong Kong Airlines, and a Thai national, surnamed Khuibut, were apprehended just before boarding their flight. Chan claimed innocence, saying he had been offered a free trip to Thailand by a mysterious friend who asked to use his baggage allowance for the return journey. He insisted he had no idea the luggage was filled with cannabis.

 

Customs officers, however, were far from convinced. The X-ray images flagged suspicious items in four pieces of luggage from an EVA Air flight arriving from Bangkok. Upon inspection, officers were shocked to find the suitcases packed with cannabis, split evenly between Chan’s and Khuibut’s bags—22.655 kilogrammes each.

 

 

 

 

A spokesperson from the Aviation Police’s detective unit cast doubt on Chan’s claim of ignorance.

 

“As an airline employee, he would be fully aware of the legal ramifications of transporting narcotics.”

 

Despite his supposed innocence, Chan and his accomplice are now being prosecuted under Taiwan’s Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act.

 

The Taoyuan District Prosecutors Office announced this breakthrough after nearly five months of investigation, with both suspects now in custody and facing serious charges, reported Dimsum Daily HK.

 

By Puntid Tantivangphaisal

Photo courtesy of Dimsum Daily HK

 

 

 

Source: The Thaiger

-- 2024-09-12

 

 

Get the ASEAN NOW daily NEWSLETTER - Click HERE to subscribe

45 kilos of weed is huge......Very huge......Did they have 10 bags each or what?

 

 

 

Over 2000 THB/gram?? Doubt it.

2 hours ago, redwood1 said:

45 kilos of weed is huge......Very huge......Did they have 10 bags each or what?

 

Check out the  photo.

Hehe... he didn't know there were drugs in the bags. But where are his clothes? Did he not think he would need clothes travelling to another country? That is enough weed to pack each suitcase. 

Well wrapped,

14 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The Taoyuan District Prosecutors Office announced this breakthrough after nearly five months of investigation,

Looks totally smell proof! 🙄 Investigation for 5 months??? Try harder!

14 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The suspects, identified as Chan, a ground staff member for Hong Kong Airlines, and a Thai national, surnamed Khuibut, were apprehended just before boarding their flight. Chan claimed innocence, saying he had been offered a free trip to Thailand by a mysterious friend who asked to use his baggage allowance for the return journey. He insisted he had no idea the luggage was filled with cannabis.

Nice try, but you're busted.

15 hours ago, redwood1 said:

45 kilos of weed is huge......Very huge......Did they have 10 bags each or what?

 

 

 

 

Not so huge if it's brick weed.(highly compressed)...

Taiwan still has the death penalty for drug trafficking.  They could face a firing squad for this.

On 9/12/2024 at 7:46 PM, Peabody said:

Over 2000 THB/gram?? Doubt it.

That is around the average street price of cannabis sold in Taiwan. So that’s possibly what they based the value on. It’s a lot more expensive in Taiwan than one would expect, but it’s because of the fact that it’s illegal and sold through the black market. However, if it’s just average quality, then it might only have a retail value of only about 1% of that price in Thailand. 
 

 

46 minutes ago, FriscoKid said:

That is around the average street price of cannabis sold in Taiwan.

Yeah, the authorities always use the highest street price for the minimal amount when calculating the worth. They can actually seize less than in another time period, but claim "seizures have increased".

3 minutes ago, Peabody said:

Yeah, the authorities always use the highest street price for the minimal amount when calculating the worth. They can actually seize less than in another time period, but claim "seizures have increased".

Perhaps. But this was cannabis intended for the illegal Taiwanese market and that is the actual street value per gram in Taiwan. So they aren’t really massaging the figures. They never really talk about the wholesale price or the manufacturing cost price of drug seizures. It’s always the retail street value because I think they’re trying to give an idea of what the contraband would be sold for on the open market in its intended destination. 

On 9/13/2024 at 9:23 AM, Callmeishmael said:

Taiwan still has the death penalty for drug trafficking.  They could face a firing squad for this.

Fortunately for them rarely carried out except for murder.