Police seize 7kg of suspected heroin in Australia-bound drink sachets

Narcotics officers have seized about seven kilogrammes of suspected heroin hidden in instant-drink sachets inside two parcels bound for Australia at a private courier depot in Samut Prakan.

The discovery followed intelligence about suspicious parcels at the facility. Both boxes carried sender details in Thailand and Australian delivery addresses. The consignment was seized and handed to Narcotics Suppression Bureau investigators.

Hard sachets prompted closer inspection

Officers inspecting the boxes found several brands of powdered instant-drink products. The sachets felt unusually hard, prompting them to open the packaging for a closer examination.

Inside, they discovered white powder wrapped in silver foil. A preliminary test using Marquis reagent produced a purple reaction, indicating the possible presence of heroin. The suspected drugs weighed 7.003 kilogrammes.

Heroin is classified as a Category 1 narcotic under Thai law. The field-test result formed part of the evidence transferred to investigators along with the intercepted parcels.

Investigators tracing those behind the parcels

Officers are working to identify the senders and others involved in arranging the shipment. According to the Thai Examiner, no arrests in connection with the parcels had been announced as of 19 October.

The names and addresses appearing on the packages have not been disclosed publicly. Investigators have not confirmed whether the sender details identify the people who actually prepared or dispatched the consignment.

The private courier company and the intended Australian destination city have also not been named. The seizure took place at the Samut Prakan facility before the identified shipment could leave Thailand.

Separate seizure in Ratchaburi

In a separate operation, narcotics police arrested two Thai suspects in Ratchaburi and seized 2,566,000 methamphetamine tablets, commonly known as yaba, along with firearms and ammunition.

Investigators had been tracking a silver Isuzu pickup suspected of carrying drugs from central Thailand towards the South. Its movements took it from Ban Pong district in Ratchaburi to Ayutthaya, Ang Thong and Suphan Buri before it returned to Ratchaburi.

Officers intercepted the pickup and arrested its 26-year-old driver after finding six sacks containing approximately 1.5 million tablets. A subsequent search of a residence in Suan Kluai subdistrict, Ban Pong, led to the arrest of a 30-year-old suspect and the recovery of another 1,066,000 tablets.

Both suspects were handed over to investigators for legal proceedings. Police have not established a connection between the Ratchaburi arrests and the Australia-bound parcels; inquiries into those responsible for the suspected heroin shipment are continuing.