NONG KHAI — Police in Nong Khai rushed to inspect suspicious packages after a shipping company reported finding questionable parcels that customers requested to send abroad without specifying the recipient’s name. They discovered 72 cans of glucose products concealing cannabis buds weighing over 3 kilograms.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Jirawit Panyim, Chief of Nong Khai City Police Station, received a report from a private Thai-Laos shipping company in downtown Nong Khai on Monday requesting inspection of packages that customers wanted delivered to Laos.
Customs officials from Nong Khai, along with plant and animal quarantine officers, joined the inspection. The examination revealed three boxes containing glucose powder, with 24 cans per box totaling 72 cans. When officers opened the containers, they found plastic bags containing glucose powder on top, but underneath were plastic bags concealing cannabis buds.
All items were seized and brought to the investigation room at Nong Khai City Police Station for detailed examination.
Officers weighed the cannabis buds, finding approximately 50 grams per bag across all 72 cans, with a total weight of about 3 kilograms valued at approximately 135,000 baht. Cannabis buds are classified as controlled herbs that cannot be sold or advertised without medical prescriptions.
The Thai-Laos shipping company operator provided information to police, claiming innocence and explaining they received the three boxes from a domestic shipping company.
After receiving them, someone called to coordinate delivery to Laos without providing the recipient’s name and made regular follow-up calls about the packages, which raised suspicions of illegal contents, prompting them to contact police.
Lieutenant Colonel Jirawit stated that the discovered cannabis buds were concealed to evade inspection by police and customs officials for overseas smuggling. Following cannabis control announcements, there may be increased attempts to smuggle cannabis in and out of the country, particularly along border areas.
Police have seized the cannabis and will proceed according to legal procedures.
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