Nearly 16kg of Heroin Bound for Australia and Taiwan Seized in Thailand
Nearly 16kg of Heroin Bound for Australia and Taiwan Seized in Thailand
BANGKOK, 3 July 2026 — Thailand’s Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) has seized nearly 16 kilograms of heroin concealed inside silk clothing, local handicrafts, coffee packets and winter jackets that was destined for Australia and Taiwan, with investigators tracing the trafficking network to the Golden Triangle.
Speaking at ONCB headquarters on Thursday, ONCB Secretary-General Pol. Lt. Col. Suriya Singhakamol said the latest seizures followed an earlier operation on June 30, when authorities intercepted two parcels in Bangkok containing heroin hidden inside locally made products bound for Australia.
Investigators traced the shipments to Loei province, where they found additional parcels dispatched on July 1. Officers inspected a parcel delivery shop in Loei and identified three more packages matching those already sent to two separate locations in Bangkok.
At the first location in Bang Kapi district, authorities seized two parcels containing 6.23 kilograms of heroin concealed inside silk clothing. The packages were destined for Taiwan.
At a second location on Rang Nam Road in Bangkok’s Ratchathewi district, officers seized another parcel containing 9.98 kilograms of heroin hidden inside coffee packets and winter jackets. That shipment was destined for Australia.
Investigators said the suspected organiser of the Australia-bound operation is a Thai national wanted under an arrest warrant issued in Tak province for fraud. Authorities believe he directed the trafficking operation from Australia.
Police later raided three locations in Loei and Nakhon Phanom linked to the parcel shipments and bank accounts used to receive transport payments. One suspect told investigators that he and his Lao wife had delivered parcels on two occasions after collecting them from a Lao national, with payment transferred into his wife’s bank account.
Authorities are also examining possible links between the trafficking network and a Thai flight attendant arrested in Australia last month after allegedly attempting to smuggle more than one kilogram of heroin into Melbourne.
Suriya said Thailand’s proximity to the Golden Triangle, a major production area for heroin, methamphetamine, crystal meth and ketamine, together with its extensive transport infrastructure, makes close cooperation between domestic and international agencies essential in disrupting transnational drug trafficking networks.
Authorities said the investigation is continuing to identify everyone involved in the operation and pursue legal action against members of the wider trafficking network.
