Dutchman arrested in Thailand for ecstasy, cannabis trafficking
The Thai police arrested a Dutchman and a British man on Wednesday on suspicion of drug trafficking. According to the local authorities, the duo smuggled ecstasy into Thailand and planned to smuggle cannabis from Thailand to the United Kingdom. Thailand has very strict drug laws and the two could face years of imprisonment.
The police intercepted a shipment of ecstasy, hidden in a jar of diet powder and then sent by post from England to Thailand, on November 4. The anti-drug unit launched an investigation into the recipients of the package, and that led them to the Dutchman and the Briton. They were arrested in Bangkok.
After the arrests, the officers searched two homes. In a home in the district of Khlong Toei, they found bags and bags of cannabis, weighing a total of 30 kilograms. “Packing equipment and a machine to vacuum pack the drugs were also found,” the Thai police said on Facebook. Documents found in the home indicate that the suspects were planning to smuggle the cannabis to the U.K. in a shipment of pillows, the police said. In the second home, the police found another 6 kilograms of cannabis, again packed in vacuum bags.
The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs told RTL Nieuws that it was aware of the arrest. It is unclear whether the Dutchman has submitted a request for consular assistance, a spokesperson said.
Thailand removed cannabis from its list of prohibited substances two years ago, but the illegal trade of the soft drug still carries heavy penalties.
The penalties for trading in ecstasy, classified as a “Category 1 drug” in the Southeast Asian country, are even higher, RTL wrote. The import, export, and production of drugs in this category carries prison sentences between 10 years and life. The judge can also impose the death penalty, but it rarely comes to an actual execution.
