SUVARNABHUMI — Thai customs officials arrested a 50-year-old Romanian woman attempting to smuggle heroin worth over 1 million baht (approximately $30,000) out of the country, authorities announced Saturday.
The Customs Department, working with multiple law enforcement agencies, intercepted the suspect at Suvarnabhumi Airport as she prepared to board a Vietnam Airlines flight bound for Taiwan via Hanoi.
Department spokesman Phanthong Loykulnan said the operation was part of ongoing intensive efforts to combat drug trafficking through Thailand’s borders. The arrest involved collaboration between the Customs Department’s Investigation and Suppression Division, Suvarnabhumi Airport Passenger Inspection Office, the Airport Interdiction Task Force (AITF), and narcotics suppression police.
Officials had been monitoring the suspect based on intelligence reports and spotted her at the Vietnam Airlines check-in counter. When her luggage passed through X-ray screening, authorities detected suspicious anomalies in a black hard-shell suitcase.
A detailed search revealed white powder hidden inside a backpack and bedding set within the luggage. Field testing using ONCB051 MARQUIS REAGENT confirmed the substance was heroin when it turned purple upon contact with the chemical. The total seizure weighed 3.56 kilograms with an estimated street value of 1,068,000 baht (approximately $30,000).
The woman faces charges under Thailand’s Customs Act of 2017 for attempting to smuggle Category 1 narcotics (heroin) out of the kingdom and for possession of the controlled substance.
The arrest highlights Thailand’s strategic position as both a transit route and target for international drug trafficking networks, with Suvarnabhumi Airport serving as a critical checkpoint for interdiction efforts.
According to customs department data, authorities have seized various narcotics including methamphetamine (ice), heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine pills in 187 cases during the current fiscal year (October 1, 2024 – July 24, 2025), with a combined value exceeding 1.157 billion baht.
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