Park Sukhee, a 65-year-old South Korean national, reported finding a suspicious suitcase in his hotel room on Saturday night (Jan 25).
Mr Park first contacted the Korean consulate representative in Phuket at around 11pm after suspecting the suitcase contained illegal substances. The Korean consulate quickly informed Thalang Police, who dispatched officers to investigate.
Authorities discovered two paper-wrapped packages, secured with Scotch tape, hidden inside the suitcase.
The packages contained white powder. One of the packages weighed 3.8kg, the other weighed 2.8kg. Preliminary tests indicated the substance was heroin, police reported.
Mr Park told police he had been in contact with a British man through the messaging app WeChat for two years. Despite frequent communication, the two had never met in person. The British contact reportedly arranged Mr Park’s flight and accommodations in Phuket, booking the room from last Friday through to yesterday (Jan 24-26).
The man instructed Mr Park to collect the suitcase, which was delivered to his hotel room by an unidentified man presumed to be Thai. According to Mr Park, the delivery man did not speak and quickly left after handing over the luggage.
While initially packed with clothes, Mr Park noticed the suitcase felt unusually heavy and decided to inspect further. Upon finding the concealed packages, he became suspicious and reported the matter to the Korean consular representative.
The Korean Embassy coordinated with local Thai police, who inspected the suitcase and confirmed the presence of the narcotics, police said.
The heroin has been seized and sent for further analysis, and authorities are working to identify the unknown man who delivered the suitcase.
Police are also examining CCTV footage from the hotel to trace the suspect’s movements.
Mr Park has cooperated fully with investigators, providing details about his interactions with the British man and the events leading up to the suitcase delivery. He was scheduled to depart Phuket for France on the Saturday evening (Jan 25), with a layover in Doha.
Thai authorities are continuing the investigation to uncover the drug trafficking network behind the operation, police said in their report.