BANGKOK, July 13 – An Iranian man was arrested Tuesday at Suvarnabhumi Airport for smuggling 15 kilos of crystal methamphetamine, or ‘ice,’ worth Bt 50 million (US$1.6 million) into the kingdom, a senior Thai customs officer said on Wednesday.
The contraband was found in two boxes containing artwork with a surprising twist.
One lot of ‘ice’ was sculpted into a modern art bas relief wall plaque for exhibition, while the other contained ‘ice’ appeared to be an elaborate picture frame.
Wisan Wuthisaksilp, Principle Advisor on Development of the Customs Control System, told a press briefing that 28-year-old Iranian Safi Zadeh Hossein was apprehended in the arrival terminal of Thailand’s main international airport Tuesday night.
Mr Hossein flew Qatar Airways from Damascus, Syria, and changed flights at Doha, Qatar before landing in Thailand at 7.10pm.
Matching the information received from the source, customs officials stopped the suspected drug courier and searched his baggage.
Customs officers found the artistically-crafted ice hidden in two boxes with a total weight of 15.3 kg with a possible street value of Bt50 million ($1.6 million).
The suspect was charged with possessing illicit drugs for resale and illegally bringing them into Thailand.
Mr Hossein will be handed over to the police for further legal procedures.
