Cannabis Bust at Koh Samui Airport: Brits and Malaysian Nabbed

[snoop1130]

File photo for reference only

 

In a major drug bust at Koh Samui International Airport, Thai authorities seized 140 kilograms of dried cannabis flowers from seven suitcases belonging to five foreign passengers. The haul, valued at around 4 million baht, was en route to Singapore, with plans to continue onto the UK.

 

The travellers, two British men, two British women, and a Malaysian man, were detained after X-ray scans revealed suspicious items in their luggage. Subsequent inspection confirmed the presence of vacuum-sealed cannabis. The British men and women admitted they were recruited to transport the drugs to London. The plan promised debt clearance for the men and a cash reward of £2,000 each for the women. The Malaysian was offered 6,000 ringgit for completing his part of the journey.

 

 

Those involved face charges under multiple sections of Thai law governing illicit goods and controlled herbs. The group confessed and proposed forfeiting the cannabis to avoid further legal action. Recreational cannabis use remains illegal in the UK, classified as a Class B drug, with medicinal use limited to prescriptions by specialists.

 

This incident underscores ongoing challenges in international drug trafficking, reflecting the complexities of legality across borders. As legal proceedings in Thailand unfold, the case remains a cautionary tale for travellers navigating international drug laws, reported Thai Newsroom.

 

-- 2025-03-13

 

 

[MalcolmB]

9 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

was en route to Singapore

Not the smartest move.

[ronster]

Should have let them get on the plane then called Singapore airport to tell them they had guests coming to stay in the country 😀

[Wuvu2]

These criminal masterminds planned their caper via Singapore - one of the few countries in region that still imposes the death penalty for drug smuggling. I suppose the non-stop flights were quite a bit more expensive 😆

[dddave]

2 hours ago, Wuvu2 said:

These criminal masterminds planned their caper via Singapore - one of the few countries in region that still imposes the death penalty for drug smuggling. I suppose the non-stop flights were quite a bit more expensive 😆

Unfortunately, the people caught are just dumb mules, so desperate for small money or to get out of debt that they ignore the risks.  They were probably assured that customs "Has been taken care of:  Don't worry, we have a person inside.  You won't be stopped." Duh.

 

Interesting that a Brit was caught entering the UK from Thailand a few days ago with over 35kg of weed.  I wonder how he got through Thai scanning with that much in a huge bag.

[Patong2021]

4 minutes ago, dddave said:

Unfortunately, the people caught are just dumb mules, so desperate for small money or to get out of debt that they ignore the risks.  They were probably assured that customs "Has been taken care of:  Don't worry, we have a person inside.  You won't be stopped." Duh.

 

Interesting that a Brit was caught entering the UK from Thailand a few days ago with over 35kg of weed.  I wonder how he got through Thai scanning with that much in a huge bag.

 

Doubt that they were mules here. Sounds like it was more of a "genius" get rich quick plan.

Mules don't typically move cannabis like this.

[dddave]

23 minutes ago, Patong2021 said:

 

Doubt that they were mules here. Sounds like it was more of a "genius" get rich quick plan.

Mules don't typically move cannabis like this.

Read the article again.  It specifies how much each idiot was paid.

[Dogmatix]

They definitely had enough to get suspended in Singapore.  Lucky the Thais arrested them rather than let the Singaporeans get them.

[Dogmatix]

I wonder how many get through with huge quantities stuffed in suitcases.  Personal belongings must have been carried only in carry on bags.  Fairly fresh weed has a very strong smell and dogs, even new trainees,  would easily pick up that sort of quantity even if carefully packed up.  The Thai authorities were probably tipped off anyway.

[Patong2021]

2 hours ago, dddave said:

Read the article again.  It specifies how much each idiot was paid.

 

I read it, and as I wrote, I doubt the story. Because they claim they were innocent and paid to do this does not mean they were.  Everytime someone is stopped, they  almost always claim they were forced or mistakenly  got involved or were naive mules.  There used to be a program on Discovery that profiled the Columbian police at El Dorado airport. The drug traffickers they stopped always had some lovely inventive stories. Some were indeed. stupid mules, but others were often  entrepreneurs with a get rich plan. It makes no sense to pay anyone to import cannabis into the UK because of the pervasive grow ops that are omnipresent. It's like the old tale of bringing coal to Newcastle or selling ice to an "Eskimo".

[niebla]

Why do they even care about dried flowers leaving the country? All the energy and effort should be placed on scanning everything entering the country, for taxation and looking for illegal items. Things leaving the country are usually paid for and add to the country's gross domestic product. Insuring a strong Thai baht. 

[Tropicalevo]

1 hour ago, niebla said:

Why do they even care about dried flowers leaving the country? All the energy and effort should be placed on scanning everything entering the country, for taxation and looking for illegal items. Things leaving the country are usually paid for and add to the country's gross domestic product. Insuring a strong Thai baht. 

I would imagine that most 'cash sales' go into the grey economy and are not on people's books.

As far as I know, the grey economy is not included in the GDP.

Happy to be proved wrong.