Police in Phuket seized more than six kilogrammes of heroin hidden inside 48 Thai clothing sets on April 30 after a suspicious parcel shipment from Loei was sent to a house in Sakhu, Thalang, allegedly for onward delivery to Australia.
The shipment, packed in two sacks, was sent through a private delivery company from Chiang Khan district, Loei, to a recipient named Atthaphon in Phuket.
Narcotics suppression police and Wichit police monitored the delivery after receiving information that drugs may have been hidden inside.
Delivery staff reportedly left the sacks outside the house, but no one collected them. Officers later questioned people inside the property and were told that Atthaphon was travelling to Australia.
Police initially found only Thai clothing inside the sacks. On May 2, Atthaphon contacted officers and said he worked for an airline and had been hired through Facebook Messenger to carry the clothing to Australia.
He told police he became suspicious that the clothes may contain drugs or other illegal items and agreed to hand the parcels over for a detailed inspection.
Officers later found suspicious material hidden in the lining of all 48 clothing sets. A preliminary Marquis Reagent spot test turned purple, which police said indicated the presence of heroin.
Police seized the 6.198 kilogrammes of heroin as evidence in a case involving joint possession of a Category 1 narcotic and attempting to export heroin from Thailand.
Forensic officers collected latent fingerprints from the Thai clothing and parcels. Thairath reported that the evidence is being prepared for court applications for arrest warrants against people linked to the case.
Investigators believe the shipment may be linked to a network that uses courier services to send parcels overseas without telling couriers that drugs are hidden inside, allowing them to pass checks without appearing suspicious.
Police are now tracing the sender in Loei and investigating whether similar shipments have already been carried overseas. Officers said at least three previous cases involving Thai clothing or other goods packed in sacks may be linked to the same method.
The story Police seize heroin hidden in Thai clothing sets bound for Australia as seen on Thaiger News.
