Thai authorities have arrested two women after intercepting 8.62 kilograms of heroin concealed in sunscreen bottles in Chiang Mai, in parcels allegedly being prepared for delivery to Australia.

The seizure was among drug cases announced on 6 August 2026 at Provincial Police Region 5 headquarters in Chiang Mai. Officers said the operations recovered more than 3.2 million methamphetamine tablets, 8.62kg of heroin, arrested three suspects and seized one vehicle.

Lt Gen Kritthaphon Yisakhon, commissioner of Provincial Police Region 5, announced the results alongside Chiang Mai governor Ratthaphon Naradis, representatives of the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB), Third Army Region and other agencies.

Heroin concealed in sunscreen bottles

The DSI said it had received intelligence that narcotics were being disguised as everyday goods and sent abroad through an international air-express parcel company in Mueang Chiang Mai district.

Officials inspected two parcels addressed to Australia and found several bottles of sunscreen. Further examination uncovered a white powder, believed to be Category 1 narcotics, or heroin, weighing about 8.6kg.

Delivery records named the sender as Ms Ploy, with an address in Rim Tai, Mae Rim district, Chiang Mai. The intended recipient was listed as Miss Ngoc Nguten in Australia.

CCTV footage showed two women lodging the parcels

Investigators later arrested Ms Ploy, 20, and Ms Wilaiwan, 19, both from Chiang Khong district in Chiang Rai, while they were allegedly fleeing in the area of Sathan subdistrict, Chiang Khong. The pair were detained on a regular bus.

Authorities said some alleged organisers and accomplices had previously obtained Hua Sun identity cards in Wiang Kaen district, Chiang Rai, in a case involving fraudulent identity-card registration that DSI regional office 5 had investigated before. The inquiry is continuing to identify senders, recipients, supporters and other members of the network.

More than 3.2 million yaba tablets seized

In a separate case, police seized around 2.5 million yaba tablets in Mae On district, Chiang Mai. Investigators had tracked a network believed to be moving drugs from Mae Sai district, Chiang Rai, towards Pathum Thani.

Officers watched a planned meeting point, but the suspect vehicle sped away and was later abandoned at Suan Udom Phan Mai in San Kamphaeng district. Police subsequently caught the suspect and found the tablets in sacks inside the vehicle.

Pictures courtesy of Amarin

In Mae Chan district, Chiang Rai, police, soldiers and ONCB officers also seized more than 704,000 yaba tablets hidden in five parcels at a private delivery company. The packages had reportedly been sent from Mae Fah Luang district, and investigators are pursuing those involved.

Provincial Police Region 5 said agencies were working together to stop drugs at their source, during transport and in parcel networks. ONCB Region 5 will examine whether the alleged heroin-export network is connected to previously arrested groups using paid couriers to carry drugs abroad.

Police said heroin production has resumed in countries neighbouring Thailand after output in Afghanistan fell, increasing the use of Thailand as a transit route to third countries.

Between 1 October 2025 and 5 August 2026, Provincial Police Region 5 reported 27,345 drug cases, including 315 major cases. Seizures included more than 420 million yaba tablets, over 10,350kg of ice, more than 105kg of heroin, over 1,300kg of ketamine and more than 410kg of opium, with assets worth over 1.58 billion baht confiscated.

Join the discussion?

7 August 2026

View full article

It seems, that more and more drugs are coming into Thailand in recent weeks.

Quite similar to the years, when Chavalit Yongchayudh was PM.

Anutin needs to talk to the neighboring countries to control the situation.

It worries me, that smugglers are using more and more teenagers to smuggle the drugs.

11 minutes ago, Beat666 said:

It seems, that more and more drugs are coming into Thailand in recent weeks.

Quite similar to the years, when Chavalit Yongchayudh was PM.

Anutin needs to talk to the neighboring countries to control the situation.

It worries me, that smugglers are using more and more teenagers to smuggle the drugs.

These were destined to head on out. There seems to be an awful lot heading that way too. Thailand is becoming a transit country?

1 hour ago, jacko45k said:

These were destined to head on out. There seems to be an awful lot heading that way too. Thailand is becoming a transit country?

"Becoming" - it's always been one - something seems to have changed in the level of enforcement lately.

We all know then Shan State warlords up in Myanmar have been flooding Thailand with all manner of drugs and nobody can stop them.

They're that powerful they repelled and beat the official Myanmar army into submission just a couple of years back. Prior to that they had been 'left alone' - likely for this reason. These narco warlords are very powerful and have huge numbers.

They make the likes of Pablo Escobar look like street dealers.

They make a big deal out of this when they probibally orcastrated the buy and helped pack the goods. Corrupt from the fields to the airports. Not saying all Thails are scum but the ones that do this are all scum from the start to the finish.

Edited August 7Aug 7 by Gknrd

2 hours ago, Beat666 said:

It seems, that more and more drugs are coming into Thailand in recent weeks.

Quite similar to the years, when Chavalit Yongchayudh was PM.

Anutin needs to talk to the neighboring countries to control the situation.

It worries me, that smugglers are using more and more teenagers to smuggle the drugs.

Are you sure the "situation" is not under "control"?

3 hours ago, Beat666 said:

It seems, that more and more drugs are coming into Thailand in recent weeks.

Quite similar to the years, when Chavalit Yongchayudh was PM.

These drugs were being packaged for export. That would be leaving Thailand, not entering.

Chavalit was PM for just 349 days and was under pressure most of this time. What are you referring to and can you supply a link?

4 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

Between 1 October 2025 and 5 August 2026, Provincial Police Region 5 reported 27,345 drug cases, including 315 major cases. Seizures included more than 420 million yaba tablets, over 10,350kg of ice, more than 105kg of heroin, over 1,300kg of ketamine and more than 410kg of opium, with assets worth over 1.58 billion baht confiscated.

If that's the 10% that they estimate that they get.... the rest of the world must have an insatiable appetite for the other 90%

2 hours ago, ukrules said:

They make the likes of Pablo Escobar look like street dealers.

Having read about this sort of stuff since air America and the Vietnam war the amount of money that this crew must have is insane

I doubt these packages would have made it through the Australia Post system as they have quite sophisticated x-ray equipment screening incoming parcels from Southeast Asia, but good to see Thailand becoming more proactive in preventing these shipments from leaving the country in the first place.

1 hour ago, banyanman said:

I doubt these packages would have made it through the Australia Post system as they have quite sophisticated x-ray equipment screening incoming parcels from Southeast Asia, but good to see Thailand becoming more proactive in preventing these shipments from leaving the country in the first place.

To me I would have thought they would let the parcels through and quietly arrest as they went through the chain.

4 hours ago, marin said:

These drugs were being packaged for export. That would be leaving Thailand, not entering.

Chavalit was PM for just 349 days and was under pressure most of this time. What are you referring to and can you supply a link?

The drugs are brought in from Laos and Myanmar.

Make your own research about Chavalit and how the army brought drugs into Thailand

5 hours ago, JimHuaHin said:

Are you sure the "situation" is not under "control"?

Yes, otherwise there wouldn't be so many drugs available on the Black Market.

Lot's of synthetic drugs coming from China through Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia into Thailand.

I also registered more road checkpoints in Nakhon Sawan heading towards Kamphaeng Phet and Phitsanuloke.

And the infantry Regiment at the Fort Chiraprawat in Nakhon Sawan is on alert.

8 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

sent abroad through an international air-express parcel company

from the looks of it - DHL!

It's just dope. Get over it. Legalise everything!

1 hour ago, unblocktheplanet said:

It's just dope. Get over it. Legalise everything!

Why?

Are you a dope head that needs that cr@p?

it was probably for medicinal use. We hope some Israeli's scientists come forward with some new studies recommending the recreational use of heroin for arse pain.