The Customs Department announced the seizure today (Feb 12), following the arrest of a male passenger who arrived in Phuket yesterday on a flight from Humberto Delgado Airport in Lisbon, Portugal, transiting through Istanbul Airport in Türkiye. Officers identified the suspect as high-risk during passenger data analysis conducted under Thailand’s intensified anti-drug trafficking campaign. The report by Customs did not name the man.
Ekwut Na-ek, Director of the Investigation and Suppression Division of the Customs Department, said the arrest was carried out in line with the ‘Quick Big Win in Anti-Drug Trafficking’ policy set by Customs Director-General Panthong Loykulnan, which has tightened surveillance and risk profiling at all ports of entry and exit nationwide.
The operation was conducted jointly by the Investigation and Suppression Division, Customs Region 5, Phuket Airport Customs and several security agencies, including the Airport Interdiction Task Force (AITF), the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB), the Narcotics Suppression Bureau (NSB) and the Security Center of the Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters.
After the passenger’s luggage was flagged during X-ray screening, officers carried out a detailed inspection and discovered a concealed compartment inside the suitcase. Hidden inside was a white powder wrapped in blue carbon paper, believed to have been used to evade detection by screening equipment.
A preliminary field test using ONCB reagent 052 (cobalt thiocyanate) turned blue, indicating the substance was cocaine, a Category 2 narcotic under Thai law. The total weight of the seized drugs, including packaging, was approximately 3.1 kilogrammes, with an estimated street value of more than B9.3 million.
The suspect and the seized narcotics were handed over to investigators to face charges of importing a Category 2 narcotic into the Kingdom without permission under the Narcotics Code, as well as offences under Sections 242 and 252 in conjunction with Sections 166 and 167 of the Customs Act B.E. 2560 (2017).
Mr Ekwut said the Customs Department will continue to work with partner agencies to intercept drug smuggling networks and protect public safety and national security.
“Customs protects society, upholds its ideals, and works meticulously,” he said, citing the World Customs Organization’s 2026 motto.