Police have detained the driver who allegedly transported the parcel linked to Thai Airways flight attendant Mina, who was arrested in Australia in a heroin trafficking investigation. The 59-year-old man from Ayutthaya admitted driving the package to Mina’s condominium in Bangkok’s Bang Na district on June 22, but claimed he had simply been hired by a foreign-looking man to provide transport.

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The investigation forms part of a wider probe ordered by National Police Chief Pol Gen Kitrat Phanphet. Senior officers from the Royal Thai Police, the Metropolitan Police Bureau and the Narcotics Suppression Bureau have been tasked with tracing everyone connected to the case after the flight attendant was arrested overseas with illegal drugs.

Investigators said CCTV footage showed a man wearing a long-sleeved jacket and a hood concealing his head delivering the parcel to Mina’s condominium. The suspect arrived in a Toyota car, which police later traced to the 59-year-old driver.

Police discovered the driver has a criminal record dating back to 1997, when he was arrested while transporting 10,000 methamphetamine tablets from Chiang Rai to Bangkok. He was originally sentenced to life imprisonment before serving a reduced 20-year prison term.

During questioning at the Metropolitan Police Bureau’s Narcotics Suppression Operations Centre, the driver admitted taking the parcel to Mina’s condominium on June 22. He told investigators he had been hired by a foreign-looking man, who travelled with him in the vehicle, and said they had also delivered another parcel to a woman in the Soi Suea Yai area before visiting Mina’s condominium for the first time.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Lt Gen Siam Boonsom said officers later located the Toyota at a garage in Ayutthaya, where it was awaiting a windscreen replacement. The vehicle has been seized and transferred to the Metropolitan Police Bureau for forensic examination as investigators continue gathering evidence.

Deputy Metropolitan Police Commissioner Maj Gen Thiradet Thamsuthee said financial investigations confirmed Mina received a total of 3,400 baht for carrying the package. The payment was split into a 1,700-baht deposit and a further 1,700 baht transferred on the day she was due to depart on her flight.

Komchadluek reported that police said further details of the investigation cannot yet be disclosed because they could affect efforts to identify other members of the suspected trafficking network. Forensic officers will examine the seized vehicle while investigators continue questioning the driver to establish the identities of all those involved.

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Adapted by ASEAN Now Komchadluek 3 July 2026

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A yes, a foreign looking man strikes again. Those foreign looking people are dangerous!!!

3400 baht to carry narcotics. She must be a real genius and/or desperate for money.

5 minutes ago, Patong2021 said:

A yes, a foreign looking man strikes again. Those foreign looking people are dangerous!!!

3400 baht to carry narcotics. She must be a real genius and/or desperate for money.

8800 baht to carry 12 Textile tote handbags - the "carry for hire" side hustle is quite common for flight attendants even though companies ban such behavior.

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/how-drug-gangs-use-social-media-recruit-thai-air-crew-couriers-2026-07-03

Just another insignificant fish - the big fish will not be apprehend or named; they have paid or will pay for "official" protection.

16 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

He told investigators he had been hired by a foreign-looking man, who travelled with him in the vehicle, and said they had also delivered another parcel to a woman in the Soi Suea Yai area before visiting Mina’s condominium for the first time.

So I guess the driver will lead the police to the other woman too? And what happened to the previously reported 8,800 baht courier fee? Then there is that other delivery driver who voluntarily went to police claiming he delivered a package to Mena, but was one of 100 deliveries he made that day. I guess he's now off the hook.

If the stew herself had a buyer for the smack in Australia, that would have been a stellar plan. Prices for drugs Down Under are the highest on the planet. But if she was mule-ing, she should have flunked the air hostess test. $100--Jeezus!