2 hours ago, Bday Prang said:

Rigorous safety training ? like making sure ones seat is upright during take off and landing ? Face it, when the plane is spiralling out of control before crashing into the ground, the "rigorous safety training" counts for nothing

Safety training is about more than crash events.

4 hours ago, Srikcir said:

On 6/29/2026 at 8:39 AM, wil iam not said:

Treated as a 'Personal Issue', what does that entail?

That she is not acting as a courier (mule) for another person or organization?

That the heroin was for personal use.

IMO it's more likely that the airline has chosen to disassociate itself from the affair. They presumably don't want anyone to think they were a party to such a crime. I for one, don't blame them.

2 minutes ago, Thingamabob said:

Safety training is about more than crash events.

Very true , The tea and coffee in particular is a "hot " topic Its primarily about avoiding claims for damages they don't actually care about "us" passengers in the real sense of the word

Off topic posts removed. This topic is “Thai Flight Attendant Held Over Heroin at Melbourne Airport”

@Bday Prang If you don’t want posts follow the rules. Yet another reminder of forum rules.

Rule 13. You will not publicly comment on moderation in an open forum. You will not comment on actions taken by individual moderators or on specific or general policies and issues. You will not post a negative emoticon in response to a public notice made by a moderator. You may send a private message to a moderator to discuss individual actions or you can email support (at) aseannow.com to discuss moderation policy and account suspensions.You will not block communication from moderators or Admin.

Aggression, personal attacks, derogatiry comments or any form of abuse toward moderators, Admin, or this forum in general will not be tolerated and will result in strict consequences.

21 minutes ago, Bday Prang said:

Very true , The tea and coffee in particular is a "hot " topic Its primarily about avoiding claims for damages they don't actually care about "us" passengers in the real sense of the word

It is also involves, inter alia, procedures during the effects of extreme weather and unruly/dangerous passengers.

6 minutes ago, Thingamabob said:

It is also involves, inter alia, procedures during the effects of extreme weather and unruly/dangerous passengers.

Don't forget smuggling heroin , They really are a " jack of all trades" I take it all back lol

5 hours ago, TimBKK said:

It is common knowledge that these jobs are highly sought after by Thai, even amongst so called “influential” families. Of course, “influential” can mean different things to different people.

But you know better, right? It rhetorical, so don’t bother answering as your “servile” label already highlights your lack of knowledge about these positions.

Common knowledge amongst whom. Pattaya bar dwellers perhaps?

12 hours ago, ravip said:

Could you let us know which forums you are referring to and where they can be found?

9 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

If you have anything to justify that claim I'm sure you're going to post a link to one of those forums.

Facebook. Most cities will have a Thai group and it is pretty normal. Not for drug smuggling of course. Here’s a translated screenshot of what the typical ads look like (this one from Las Vegas)

1 hour ago, Airalee said:

Facebook. Most cities will have a Thai group and it is pretty normal. Not for drug smuggling of course. Here’s a translated screenshot of what the typical ads look like (this one from Las Vegas)

I think there will be significant fallout from this within the airline industry itself.

For decades, it's been common knowledge that some flight attendants have earned extra money by bringing back duty-free goods, luxury handbags, watches and other items for friends, customers or private buyers. For many, it became a perfectly ordinary side hustle.

What this case appears to expose is a slightly darker version of that same practice, people paying cabin crew simply to carry "items" between destinations. I suspect that, within some circles, these carriage fees had become so commonplace they barely raised an eyebrow.

That is, until someone exploited the system by hiding drugs inside perfectly innocent-looking luggage and bags.

I doubt this woman had any idea what she was actually carrying. She probably believed she was transporting a few harmless bags for someone, collecting a little extra money on the side, nothing more. Tragically, that sort of trust is exactly what organised smugglers rely on.

I'd also wager there are hundreds of flight attendants around the world now wondering whether they've ever unknowingly carried something that wasn't what it appeared to be.

There is a world of difference between being a deliberate drug smuggler and being dangerously naive. From everything reported so far, this strikes me as the latter. Unfortunately, ignorance and naivety are not legal defences.

My hope is that the authorities treat this as more than just another drug seizure. It should be the catalyst for dismantling the criminal networks that prey on ordinary people, exploiting trust and routine to move drugs while leaving someone else to face the consequences - rather than focusing on this woman - they really should be focusing on those behind the package itself.

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

Unfortunately, ignorance and naivety are not legal defences.

They are, if they can be reasonably proved or inferred. Her private messages are going to be examined and if they don't contain anything incriminating, she should receive a much lighter penalty. She should thank her lucky stars this didn't happen in Jakarta.

13 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

If you have anything to justify that claim I'm sure you're going to post a link to one of those forums.

Check out the most popular Facebook group for Thais in New Zealand, คนไทยในนิวซีแลนด์ (Thai - New Zealand Community). Feel free to search it for yourself and you will see many posts over the years from Thais asking others to carry items for them as well as people saying they have x kg weight allowance left and would be willing to carry items at $15 / $20 per kg. There are MANY such posts. My Mrs tells me this sort of thing has long been very popular amongst Thais living abroad when flying back to Thailand. Many Thais prefer to fly on Thai Airways and until recently, economy class had a generous 30 kg checked luggage allowance. Some everyday Thais used this as a way to make a few $$ / defray the ticket price.

3 hours ago, SBNZ said:

. Some everyday Thais used this as a way to make a few $$ /

Including the flight attendant who is the subject of this thread. She earned extra income by using a Thai Facebook group dedicated to carrying goods overseas for other people. According to what's been reported, the heroin mentioned in this thread was being transported as part of one of those Facebook-arranged transactions.

Smuggling drugs through airports is an incredibly risky affair, and cocaine and heroin are probably about the highest risk.

I understand the allure of a quick profit but that seems like quite a price to pay for it, when it goes wrong.

All airlines have a policy of their staff NOT to carry other people's parcels

Her excuse , doubt it's worth the 12 months wait until the court case comes up

But if she is found guilty with time already served she should be out within 2 years

Is it worth paying thousands in legal fees though and loss of get job

Junkies suck.

Should just have ate an edible. 😜

20 hours ago, SBNZ said:

On the TV news this morning there was much speculation that she was paid to carry the items to Australia for a stranger. This is quite common amongst Thais travelling internationally who do not use up their full weight allowance. There are forums where people post that they are willing to carry x number of kg on a flight to a certain destination as well as people asking if someone could carry items for them. The person travelling is paid anything from a few to several hundred baht / kg. The system has traditionally worked well but it seems it may now be being abused by drug traffickers.

I would like to think staff of the national carrier are well warned about doing this. If not the airline is negligent!

18 hours ago, Bday Prang said:

Rigorous safety training ? like making sure ones seat is upright during take off and landing ? Face it, when the plane is spiralling out of control before crashing into the ground, the "rigorous safety training" counts for nothing

I hope I am never on a survivable crash with you on board. When evacuating you will be the one pushing everybody out the way to get off while holding your carry on and duty free.

9 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

I doubt this woman had any idea what she was actually carrying.

I'm not so sure, Everybody who has ever flown has been asked the question "are these your bags" ? and has heard the countless warnings about carrying Items for somebody else. She was a flight attendant, she was well aware of the risks involved,

1 hour ago, Geoff914 said:

I hope I am never on a survivable crash with you on board. When evacuating you will be the one pushing everybody out the way to get off while holding your carry on and duty free.

What a strange post . I never buy duty free, and I never carry hand baggage, but I might indeed "push you out of the way" depends on how slow you are moving grandad. and the other passengers would thank me for it .

In "a life threatening emergency" such as a crash landing the elderly and infirm are a liability, their very presence endangers the lives of others, if they cannot prove they are fully fit to fly, including being able to handle an emergency evacuation they should be denied boarding Same goes for the disabled

Health and safety should never be compromised for fear of hurting somebody's feelings

On 6/30/2026 at 10:17 AM, SBNZ said:

On the TV news this morning there was much speculation that she was paid to carry the items to Australia for a stranger. This is quite common amongst Thais travelling internationally who do not use up their full weight allowance. There are forums where people post that they are willing to carry x number of kg on a flight to a certain destination as well as people asking if someone could carry items for them. The person travelling is paid anything from a few to several hundred baht / kg. The system has traditionally worked well but it seems it may now be being abused by drug traffickers.

Good grief. So carrying stuff overseas for people you don't know is de rigueur here? Talk about being incredibly stupid.

This should be a wake up call for those who do stupid things...but probably not.

1 hour ago, Bday Prang said:

I'm not so sure, Everybody who has ever flown has been asked the question "are these your bags" ? and has heard the countless warnings about carrying Items for somebody else. She was a flight attendant, she was well aware of the risks involved,

And this simple question, answered knowingly with a lie, is the lynchpin of the legal prosecution and is the reason she won't get any leniency, especially from the Australian authorities.

19 hours ago, stevecm said:

No. No they won't. They could, and they won't.

Really? 😂

Thai authorities have already raided her home in Phayao and condo in Bangkok.

nationthailand

ONCB inspects Phayao home as Melbourne heroin probe widens

Thailand’s ONCB has inspected the Phayao home of a Thai Airways cabin crew member charged in Australia over alleged heroin importation, as investigators gather family, financial and parcel-trail evide

6 minutes ago, KhunHeineken said:

Thai authorities have already raided her home in Phayao and condo in Bangkok.

two houses eh ? thats suspicious in itself, Did they find any Heroin in the house ? of course not because its already in Australia lol Where they expecting her to forget a bit ? "Delivered by a hooded man " I think we know enough already Lock her up.

7 minutes ago, Bday Prang said:

two houses eh ? thats suspicious in itself,

Her family house she grew up in up in Payao. Not exactly a mansion.

2 minutes ago, Bday Prang said:

two houses eh ? thats suspicious in itself, Did they find any Heroin in the house ? of course not because its already in Australia lol Where they expecting her to forget a bit ? "Delivered by a hooded man " I think we know enough already Lock her up.

One is near Chiang Mai and I would assume it's the family home. The Bangkok condo would be her residence in between flights.

They would be looking for residue to see if the drugs were packaged in either place. They would be seizing laptops, phones etc. They would be looking at CCTV to see who came to her place. They would be looking for a large sum of cash. They would be looking for similar bags to what she transported the drugs in. They would be looking for documents for things like does she rent a storage locker. The list goes on.

25 minutes ago, KhunHeineken said:

Really? 😂

Thai authorities have already raided her home in Phayao and condo in Bangkok.

nationthailand

ONCB inspects Phayao home as Melbourne heroin probe widens

Thailand’s ONCB has inspected the Phayao home of a Thai Airways cabin crew member charged in Australia over alleged heroin importation, as investigators gather family, financial and parcel-trail evide

This has already been posted in the forum.

2 minutes ago, marin said:

Her family house she grew up in up in Payao. Not exactly a mansion.

So what I knew a guy in the UK who was a big time Heroin dealer, Despite owning property all over the place and financing the running of a haulage firm he lived in a council house , drove an old beat up car and claimed unemployment benefit , all part of his cover . Not all drug dealers are stupid enough to advertise their wealth. then again not many are stupid enough to attempt to smuggle a relatively small amount like a kilo through customs , Australian customs at that

11 minutes ago, KhunHeineken said:

One is near Chiang Mai and I would assume it's the family home. The Bangkok condo would be her residence in between flights.

They would be looking for residue to see if the drugs were packaged in either place. They would be seizing laptops, phones etc. They would be looking at CCTV to see who came to her place. They would be looking for a large sum of cash. They would be looking for similar bags to what she transported the drugs in. They would be looking for documents for things like does she rent a storage locker. The list goes on.

indeed and nothing was found, How strange that drug smugglers would cover their tracks, all most as if they knew what they were doing was wrong,! They should just lock her up and have done with it, nothing to be gained by wasting time and money on this

3 minutes ago, Bday Prang said:

nothing to be gained by wasting time and money on this

I disagree.

Australian authorities will be working to find her contact in Australia. She may end up informing on the contact for a reduced sentence.

Investigations like this don't just end with the seizure of drugs and the arrest of the courier.

6 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

All airlines have a policy of their staff NOT to carry other people's parcels

Her excuse , doubt it's worth the 12 months wait until the court case comes up

But if she is found guilty with time already served she should be out within 2 years

Is it worth paying thousands in legal fees though and loss of get job

I agree she’s unlikely to receive a lengthy prison sentence if she can substantiate her account with evidence, such as the Facebook group activity showing people describing it as a legitimate site, along with messages, emails, or other digital records of her discussions with the owner of the package, and any video footage showing the man delivering the parcel to her. She’s still facing very serious charges, but if the court accepts that she was an unwitting courier rather than a knowing participant in a trafficking operation, it’s hard to imagine she’d receive anything close to the maximum 25-year sentence intended for organised syndicate members.