Dutch arrests surge in Thailand over cannabis smuggling as embassy issues warning
Six Dutch nationals have been arrested at airports in Thailand over the past six months for attempting to smuggle large quantities of cannabis out of the country, Dutch ambassador Remco van Wijngaarden said, calling the spike unusual and warning that those detained face dire prison conditions and receive no legal help from the embassy, NU.nl reports.
The arrests involved men and women between the ages of 20 and 58. Each suspect was found with between 20 and 60 kilograms of cannabis in their luggage, which in some cases emitted a strong odor. All had allegedly tried to fly the drugs out of Thailand following their stay.
“The cultivation and use of cannabis has been allowed in Thailand since 2022, although restrictions remain,” Van Wijngaarden told NU.nl. “It’s possible that people don’t know cannabis cannot be taken out of the country.”
Despite cannabis being legal in Thailand, the export of the drug is strictly prohibited without a permit. The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs has now updated its travel advisory to Thailand to explicitly warn travelers: “You may not take cannabis out of Thailand without a permit.”
“We felt compelled to do this,” Van Wijngaarden told NU.nl. He stressed that the embassy is powerless to assist those who are arrested. “Whoever is arrested here is at the mercy of the Thai authorities.”
So far, those caught have received fines of up to 10,000 euros and, in the most severe case, a one-year prison sentence. “But that does not guarantee that harsher sentences won’t be handed down in the future,” Van Wijngaarden warned.
He described the conditions in Thai prisons as “appalling.” Detainees are held in hot, overcrowded cells, face a language barrier, and receive limited outside assistance. “An embassy employee recently visited a detained Dutch person for the first time. She returned in shock,” he told NU.nl.
The ambassador said detained Dutch nationals often claim ignorance. “They say they didn’t know they were doing something wrong,” Van Wijngaarden said. “I want to believe in people’s innocence, although there may also be trade involved.”
Because cannabis is much cheaper in Thailand than in Europe — with Dutch cannabis fetching up to 15 times the price — the financial incentive to smuggle it out is significant.
The rise in arrests comes amid increased scrutiny at Thai airports, which appears to be driven partly by international pressure. Since July 2023, more than 50 British citizens have also been arrested for similar offenses, according to the BBC.
The Dutch government is not only seeing arrests in Thailand. Schiphol Airport has also seen a sharp rise in passengers caught with Thai cannabis. Dutch customs detained 30 individuals for carrying the drug in 2024, up from just seven in 2023. So far this year, 27 arrests have been recorded. Authorities have not released the identities of those involved.
