South African woman arrested in Thailand with heroin hidden in pet food
· The South African
A 32-year-old South African woman has been arrested at Phuket International Airport in Thailand after authorities discovered 16kg of heroin concealed inside her luggage.
According to reports from Phuket News, the arrest took place on 11 June during a joint operation involving customs officials, Sakhu Police and the Narcotics Suppression Bureau (NSB).
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Hidden in bags of cat and dog food
The woman was reportedly preparing to board a flight from Phuket to Uganda’s Entebbe International Airport when officials searched her luggage and allegedly found the drugs hidden among seven bags of cat and dog food.
Authorities claim the heroin had been carefully concealed within the pet food packaging in an apparent attempt to evade detection.
The seized narcotics are estimated to have a street value of approximately 48 million Thai baht, equivalent to around R24 million.
During the arrest, officials also confiscated several mobile phones containing foreign SIM cards, which are expected to form part of the ongoing investigation.
The woman now faces charges related to the attempted export of a Category 1 narcotic from Thailand without permission, offences that fall under the country’s strict Narcotics Code and Customs Act.
She has since been handed over to investigators at Sakhu Police Station, where further legal proceedings are under way.
World’s toughest drug laws
Thailand is known for having some of the world’s toughest drug laws, with severe penalties for trafficking and smuggling offences.
The case is likely to attract attention given the large quantity of drugs allegedly involved.
The arrest also comes as another South African, Ashley Oosthuizen, continues to serve a prison sentence in Thailand following her 2020 drug-related conviction.
Oosthuizen’s sentence was recently reduced to nine years and 11 months after initially facing over 100 years behind bars.
Thai authorities have not yet released further details regarding the South African suspect’s identity or whether additional arrests are expected as part of the investigation.