The suspect, identified as Tyler Trong Luong, 60, was intercepted as he prepared to board a flight to Doha yesterday (July 16), with onward connections to Brussels and eventually France.
Authorities said he had concealed 6.6kg of heroin in 10 boxes of Coffee Mate brand creamer inside his checked luggage.
The arrest followed intelligence received from foreign law enforcement partners, which prompted Pol Lt Gen Saksira Pueak-am, Commander of the Tourist Police, to order an urgent investigation, local police reported.
The case was handled by officers from Tourist Police Division 3 and Division 2, working in coordination with the Customs Suppression Unit and the Narcotics Suppression Bureau in Phuket.
Officers tracked Luong’s movements and identified his accommodation from Monday through yesterday (July 14-16). He was kept under surveillance until he left for the airport.
While checking in at Phuket International Airport, Luong’s luggage was X-rayed and officers said they noticed suspicious contents. On conducting a search, officers discovered the heroin carefully wrapped in yellow tape and hidden in creamer boxes.
Luong allegedly told officers that a French acquaintance had asked him to carry the bag to France, and he had agreed to help without knowing the full contents.
The authorities are now working to expand the investigation and trace other individuals potentially connected to the smuggling attempt.
Luong is expected to face multiple charges under Thailand’s strict narcotics laws.