Thai Immigration Arrests Seven Drug Mules Trying to Smuggle Heroin from Thailand to Hong Kong.

 

BANGKOK – Thailand’s Immigration police have arrested six Nepalese men and an Indian man for allegedly trying to smuggle heroin from Thailand to Hong Kong.

The arrest took place during a three-day operation at Chiang Mai airport and two locations in Bangkok.

Chuchat Thareechat, the investigation chief of the Immigration Bureau, said on Monday police captured Nepalese Gongbotamang Singh, 50, with 40 bricks of heroin weighing 15.5 kilograms in total in his luggage at Chiang Mai airport before he boarded a flight to Bangkok on Wednesday.

Police expanded the investigation to arrest Thapa Sudarshan, 50, and Lal Gurung, 49, an Indian national, at a flat in On Nut area in Suan Luang district, Bangkok, on Thursday with another 290 drug bricks weighing 1.45kg and a number of heroin in capsules.

Authorities raided another apartment in the same area on Friday and apprehended Prasad Gurung, 51, Suresh Tamang, 36, Abashesh Gurung, 37, and Kare Gurung, 62.

Police did not find narcotics from the four suspects caught during Thursday’s raid but Pol Maj Gen Chuchat said they were connected with the suspects arrested earlier.

Pol Col Prawit Sirithorn, an investigation officer of the bureau, added that the four were suspected of being traffickers assigned by other gang members to swallow the heroin and go to Hong Kong. The heroin was brought into Thailand from Myanmar, he added.

The four arrested on Friday will be deported since no crime has been committed, while Mr Sudarshan, Mr Singh and Lal Gurung will be detained for possessing narcotics.