South African Woman Arrested Trying To Smuggle Out 3 Million Baht Of Heroin

[sriracha john]

Customs Department seizes Bt4.5 million in smuggled items

The Customs Department today successfully apprehended smugglers transporting narcotics and other items in and out of the country, seizing up to 4.5 million baht in merchandise.

Deputy Director-General of the Customs Department Somchai Pumsawat revealed that his officers have succesfully apprehended a female smuggler from South Africa attempting to transport heroin out of the country. The 24 year old woman was preparing to leave to China via Air Asia with 657 grams, or about 3 million baht worth of narcotics hidden in her genitals and bra. The arrested woman has been charged with several crimes and will be deported.

The department also was able to seize tax evaded products and products infringing on intellectual property rights such as alcohol, socks and DVDs with a total cost of 1.5 million baht.

The department has thus far been able to seize over 11,348 smuggled items with a total cost of 5.36 billion baht.

- ThaiNews / 2008-11-17

[Bkkboet]

The department also was able to seize tax evaded products and products infringing on intellectual property rights such as alcohol, socks and DVDs with a total cost of 1.5 million baht.

The department has thus far been able to seize over 11,348 smuggled items with a total cost of 5.36 billion baht.

- ThaiNews / 2008-11-17

[jamesjdaly]

........ with 657 grams, or about 3 million baht worth of narcotics hidden in her genitals and bra.......

How the hel_l did they know that!!

Must have been a tit (sorry....tip) off!!

[engineer]

The department also was able to seize tax evaded products and products infringing on intellectual property rights such as alcohol, socks and DVDs with a total cost of 1.5 million baht.

I have known girls to pad their bras with socks so I guess thats where she hid those, its the dvd's that concern me.

How many kids has this woman had that she can hide 3 million baht of drugs, alcohol and the whole series collection of ER in her" genitiles ".

Seems that she will only get deported !!!.

Perhaps the evidence is so rancid that the thought of a prolonged court case in the heat of Summer led to this decision.

[haybilly]

Customs Department seizes Bt4.5 million in smuggled items

The Customs Department today successfully apprehended smugglers transporting narcotics and other items in and out of the country, seizing up to 4.5 million baht in merchandise.

Deputy Director-General of the Customs Department Somchai Pumsawat revealed that his officers have succesfully apprehended a female smuggler from South Africa attempting to transport heroin out of the country. The 24 year old woman was preparing to leave to China via Air Asia with 657 grams, or about 3 million baht worth of narcotics hidden in her genitals and bra. The arrested woman has been charged with several crimes and will be deported.

The department also was able to seize tax evaded products and products infringing on intellectual property rights such as alcohol, socks and DVDs with a total cost of 1.5 million baht.

The department has thus far been able to seize over 11,348 smuggled items with a total cost of 5.36 billion baht.

- ThaiNews / 2008-11-17

She will be deported--that's a change from the usual 20 years--death penalty--<deleted>--how did she swing that--friend of who, I wonder???

[midas]

The arrested woman has been charged with several crimes and will be deported

Don't they mean " has been charged with several crimes and after spending a very long time in jail in LOS will be deported ?

Surely she wont get away with just being booted out straight away ?

[sriracha john]

Customs Dept arrests drugs' agent, goods smuggler

The Customs Department has arrested culprits carrying drugs and smuggled goods worth more than 4.5 million baht.

Somchai Poonsawat, the Deputy Director-General of Customs Department, revealed today (November 17) that the Customs Department has arrested a 24-year-old Miss Nongthando Evident Pendu from South Africa while she took Air Asia's flight to China with heroin hidden in her birth canal, brassiere, and sports shoes. The weight of heroin was 657 grams worth around three million baht.

Meanwhile, the department has also seized the smuggled goods which avoided customs taxes and infringed intellectual property, including liquors, wines, socks, massage machines, and DVDs worth more than 1.5 million baht.

- ThaiNews / 2008-11-17

[geriatrickid]

Sorry, but I'm lost. As others note, they just don't deport for this in Thailand. If she is deported, where to? China where she'd be held responsible for attempting to import heroin and face a firing squad, or to SA, where she'd end up in a prison similar to one in Thailand? Any SA readers have more info? She looks like one of those impoverished mules these gangs use, you know the disposable people scenario. What about the kingpins? Is there a connection to Chinese military or police?

Interesting story and I hope there are more details to come.

[jimjam23]

The DVD's shortly after extraction from Miss Pendus genitals;

Looks like the drugs were stashed in her shoes:

[Scott]

If she wasn't caught this time, what next a Mercedes?

[ratcatcher]

Sorry, but I'm lost. As others note, they just don't deport for this in Thailand. If she is deported, where to? China where she'd be held responsible for attempting to import heroin and face a firing squad, or to SA, where she'd end up in a prison similar to one in Thailand? Any SA readers have more info? She looks like one of those impoverished mules these gangs use, you know the disposable people scenario. What about the kingpins? Is there a connection to Chinese military or police?

Interesting story and I hope there are more details to come.

geriatrickid makes a good point. If they suspected her of being a transporter, why didn't they let her continue her flight with undercover police surveillance,maybe they could have made a connection, but then........ you know they'd run into the big wall.

24 years old and a life ruined and now facing years of abuse. I don't usually side with drug traffickers, but she's a pawn in the big game. Go after the Big Guys here and in China or wherever

[AlexLah]

Becrouse the big guys are inside government?

[animatic]

Even with 15 kids and never a suture this NEVER came out of

that poor lady's birth canal.

Obviously there were many suspicious bags FILLED with Xrayable stuff.

Maybe the drugs were up there, but this was beyond dumb not to look

inconspicuous, one bag one carry on, cloths and not much else.

She was set up, and.or run by an UTTER idiot handler.

Or the police have added a bunch of OTHER things on

to make it look BIGGER, even of one person couldn't handle this stuff alone.

Oh heye lets get her for inbternational copy write infringment!! And make points with

The Yanks before the next free trade negociation.. DUH!

[ratcatcher]

Becrouse the big guys are inside government?

That's right, The Great Wall of Government. Same in Thailand.

[highlander76]

foolish women she knew what she was carrying she can rot in jail

[animatic]

foolish women she knew what she was carrying she can rot in jail

Yes and NO!

With the loathsome mindset of heroin smuggling kingpins this is not a given.

Sure she likely knew what she had on / in her, but you are assuming that

SHE volunteered.... Did she have a choice, really?

Wouldn't be the 1st or last time blackmail or worse was used to

make a normally law abiding, but poor, person do something that

they NEVER dreamed of doing.

Look kid, we will give you back your baby, but first.....ha ha just do it bitch.

And add to that SHE may well have been the 'distraction bust' as 3 others

with the lions share on them went very 'discretely' through... while this poor soul

was a set up target, drawing the drug sniffers and most of the cops away from watch.

Also not the 1st time for this scam either.

All in all it smells wrong, and so dumbly blatant as to not ring true....

[DP25]

She's lucky she wasn't caught in China, she'll do hard time in Thailand, but in China she would be executed. It really makes no sense why someone would board a plane with drugs on it's way to China. Especially as a black woman from Africa, like it or not, she is more likely to receive extra attention from the authorities.

[dotcom]

My thoughts exactly DP. She might be executed in Thailand. In China they would drag her out of the courthouse & a bullet to the head. End of Problem.

Asians caught smuggling that amount of heroin will be put to death in LoS.

Suits me just fine.

[sriracha john]

South African woman nabbed smuggling heroin through BKK

BANGKOK, Nov 17 (TNA) - A South African woman was arrested for attempting to smuggle 700 grammes of heroin through Suvarnabhumi Airport, according to Thailand's Customs Department.

Customs Department deputy director general Somchai Phoonsawat said Non Tando Evidcnee Pcndu, a 24-year-old woman identified as a student, was nabbed on her way to board a plane bound for China's Shenzhen economic zone.

She was found to have 48 bars of heroin worth about three million baht hidden in her vagina.

According to police, she had travelled to Thailand several times as a tourist and picked up heroin from a major agent in the country. Thai police were now tracking the source of the heroin.

[Nampeung]

Animatic I agree with you, this woman was a mule and does not deserve this punishment

[Scott]

Good God, the bleeding heart brigade is really out on this one. If she can do the crime, she can do the time. The only reason she's getting any sympathy is because she is a woman. If she were a he, everyone would want to see a lynching.

[chuang]

Animatic I agree with you, this woman was a mule and does not deserve this punishment

If you feel sorry for her, suggest you engage a top-class lawyer to defend her...

[yumidesign]

Sorry, but I'm lost. As others note, they just don't deport for this in Thailand. If she is deported, where to? China where she'd be held responsible for attempting to import heroin and face a firing squad, or to SA, where she'd end up in a prison similar to one in Thailand? Any SA readers have more info? She looks like one of those impoverished mules these gangs use, you know the disposable people scenario. What about the kingpins? Is there a connection to Chinese military or police?

Interesting story and I hope there are more details to come.

None of this makes any sense at all, are you sure it wasn't a report from the bangkok post. But hey this bust sure makes the p m s war on drugs look so good and maybe the give away was that the shoe laces were somehow seen near the poor ladies front body parts -

However I do really feel very sad for the girl what ever the real truth of the matter really is

[nonthaburial]

Are we misreading this news report ??? The amount of smuggled items quoted surely did not come from this one lady !! There was a warning on TV a couple of months ago of increased X Raying of incoming baggage at the Airport. I can confirm this as three times in the last two months that I have returned to BKK every suitcase going through has been checked and not randomly but without exception.

[BSJ]

Ok, it's been explained where she hid the drugs and DVD's, but was she also carrying the JW Red Label as well?

[Lithobid]

If you haven't already watch

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oy880cLxRvw

And other stories available. It's sad for those who end up there.

But how horrible were the circumstances in the first place for SOME.

Lithobid

[Edit]

The last link is good to watch if you haven't seen it yet, thought this is the link I meant to provide.

[animatic]

There is more than enough public record of poor women being forced to be mules

by their children being kidknapped until they do the job.

I have no idea if this woman is willing or blackmailed.

BUT, all the stuff she is supposedly carrying seems like a set up.

It's all a little too PAT, especially with the new war on drugs.

I think the poor creature is as much victim as any addict.

I think she was set up as a diversion this time around.

A sacraficial pawn made to LOOK really OBVIOUS and

attract attention, away from the real mules.

I doubt she can roll over on anyone big enough to matter,

and I doubt the Thais CARE, they have a trophy arrest.

Lets see if DEA moves in and uses her for an asset.

This is not a local bust, but a regional one for sure.

Just because I think she was set up doesn't mean I am a bleeding heart

and forgiving the operation going down... the opposite, what happened

to her makes it all the more disgusting.

Sure she did the crime, as in got caught with all that stuff...

she likely will do some hard time, unless she has enough info for a deal.

But I haven't the wherewithal to pull her bacon out of the fire.

[Johpa]

What is interesting, apart from allegations that Ms. Pudenda had a suit case load packed inside herself, is that this is the second recent heroin arrest after a relative lengthy period of time when most drug related arrests were meth related and not heroin related. It will be interesting to see if this heroin originated along the Thai borderlands indicating a rekindling of the heroin trade up north after a lengthy dormancy, or whether it originated in Afghanistan indicating trade connections with the Taliban.

[animatic]

Johpa good point.

In either case utterly unscrupulous people running the show.

[sriracha john]

What is interesting, apart from allegations that Ms. Pudenda had a suit case load packed inside herself, is that this is the second recent heroin arrest after a relative lengthy period of time when most drug related arrests were meth related and not heroin related. It will be interesting to see if this heroin originated along the Thai borderlands indicating a rekindling of the heroin trade up north after a lengthy dormancy

badah bing... just yesterday...

Golden Triangle opium production on the rise

Chiang Mai - Authorities are worried about an increase in poppy cultivation in the Golden Triangle, fearing that opium production in the region would be boosted due to the global economic slowdown. Deputy Secretary-General of the Narcotics Control Board (NCB) Pitaya Jinawat said on Sunday that opium cultivation in Thailand, Laos, and Burma has increased over the past three years. He said poppy-growing areas in the country's northern region, a prime cultivating area, increased from 700 to 1,800 rai last year and was expected to grow to 2,000 rai this year. A significant increase in opium production in Laos and Burma has also been reported, he said. In a statement issued last week by Shan State Army leader Col Yodsuek, the production of raw opium in Shan state would triple this year to 3,000 tonnes. Pitaya said the situation has alarmed the UN Development Programme, which plans to call a meeting to find out the real causes of the unusual increase. Thailand, meanwhile, has its own five-year plan to reduce planting areas, he said. The NCB will focus on areas where opium is grown repeatedly even though authorities destroy the plants every year. There are about 1,000 rai in the northern provinces where heavy suppression is needed, Pitaya said. According to Pitaya, most opium growers in Thailand are financed by influential figures, most of whom are either local politicians or ex-state officials.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/b...s.php?id=132086