Four Iranians Arrested At Suvarnabhumi Airport For Smuggling 'Ice'

[webfact]

Four Iranians arrested at Suvarnabhumi airport for smuggling one kilo of 'ice'

BANGKOK: -- Four Iranian men were arrested at Suvarnabhumi Airport for smuggling 111 packages of crystal methamphetamine with a total weight of one kilogramme. Also known as 'ice', the foursome reportedly tried to carry the crystal meth into the kingdom by swallowing the packages, customs officials told at a press briefing on Wednesday.

The drugs were estimated to have a street value of Bt3.5 million (over US$105,000)

Reza Zaferani, 27, Bagheri Esmaeil, 30, Saeid Noeparastemami, 28, and Jamshid Bayatbabolghany, 28, on Tuesday (July 20) were arrested at Thailand's main international airport after flying from the Iranian capital of Tehran.

The customs operation followed a tip-off that the traffickers would smuggle drugs into the country.

Acting on the tip, customs officials carefully inspected them and an X-ray scanner detected crystal meth in their stomachs.

They were given laxatives and total 111 packages of ice weighing 1 kg were found.

All denied any wrongdoing but an initial investigation found that Mr Esmaeil has a Thai girlfriend working at a nightclub in the eastern seaside resort of Pattaya.

Customs officials presumed that the drug dealers may have been selling 'ice' to foreign tourists and other patrons of nightclubs in Pattaya.

Initially, they were charged with possessing and smuggling the illicit drug for resale. Customs officials sent them and the seized drug to the narcotics suppression police for further investigation. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2010-07-21

[jackdawson]

how much time do these guys get anyway ?

ps love the pattaya connection

[givenall]

how much time do these guys get anyway ?

ps love the pattaya connection

Long time for be so stupid

[mogoso]

Can't they read the Tehran newspapers and realize the Thai authorities are looking at young Iranians very carefully as they might be drug couriers. Certainly those who have been to the country recently would be examined a little bit closer.

Edited July 21, 2010 by mogoso

[bendejo]

I started getting the Iranian news channel on cable TV a few weeks ago.

Never saw anything about this kind of thing, though it seems to happen pretty often, according to the Thai press.

[Jimi007]

I started getting the Iranian news channel on cable TV a few weeks ago.

Never saw anything about this kind of thing, though it seems to happen pretty often, according to the Thai press.

Yeah, I just read the headline and though to myself: Again? I guess they don't get any international news in Iran or what?

Edited July 21, 2010 by Jimi007

[anotheruser]

I am not sure any of this is big news outside of Thailand. I don't ever see this stuff make it to CNN or where ever else. It is only big news here at TV it seems. The posts that will follow this will be identical to every other thread like this.

[Sabre]

All denied any wrongdoing but an initial investigation found that Mr Esmaeil has a Thai girlfriend working at a nightclub in the eastern seaside resort of Pattaya.

555 ... they're really getting strict about dating these days aren't they.

I mean, having a Thai gf who works in a nightclub in Pattaya is stupid, but criminal?

[geriatrickid]

the foursome reportedly tried to carry the crystal meth into the kingdom by swallowing the packages

Attempted mass suicide?

They must have been really desperate and/or incredibly stupid. Imagine the courier if a packet leaked or split open.

Yikes.

[bendejo]

Can it be assumed from this happening so frequently that production of this stuff is a popular business in Iran?

[TAWP]

the foursome reportedly tried to carry the crystal meth into the kingdom by swallowing the packages

Attempted mass suicide?

They must have been really desperate and/or incredibly stupid. Imagine the courier if a packet leaked or split open.

Yikes.

The chance of leakage if you double bag it, for their 4.5h(?) flight, is very small.

But the customs are surely looking over Iranians young males, 20-35, now.

So many of them have been nabbed the last weeks that it is getting silly.

[mazeltov]

I am not sure any of this is big news outside of Thailand. I don't ever see this stuff make it to CNN or where ever else. It is only big news here at TV it seems. The posts that will follow this will be identical to every other thread like this.

Yes CNN isn't a Thai nor an Iranian news agency and at least in Iran should it be news too or not. And it is not only Thailand where Iran nationals get arrested for drug-trafficking, its global, and also at Imam Khomeini Airport the anti-drug police has more to do than the years before.