Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has ordered an urgent meeting of anti-narcotics agencies and Airports of Thailand…

Heroin smuggling on THAI bedevils PM

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has ordered an urgent meeting of anti-narcotics agencies and Airports of Thailand (AoT) tomorrow after the arrest of a Thai Airways (THAI) flight attendant in Australia on allegations of attempting to smuggle heroin into the country.

The case, together with another recent incident involving a foreigner transporting drugs from Thailand to Australia, has heightened concerns over the country's reputation and aviation security.

Mr Anutin, who is in France, issued the directive after reports emerged that a 26-year-old THAI cabin crew member had been arrested by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) on June 25 after allegedly attempting to bring one kilogramme of heroin into Melbourne.

The drugs were concealed inside a Thai Otop tote bag packed among 12 pieces of luggage, media reports said.

The prime minister was said to be "extremely dissatisfied" with the incidents, believing they could damage Thailand's image as the government seeks to establish the country as a regional aviation hub and pursue membership of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) by 2028.

The meeting will bring together all agencies involved in narcotics suppression, including AoT, to discuss the case and measures to prevent similar incidents.

Meanwhile, the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) is expanding its investigation into the matter in cooperation with Australian authorities.

ONCB secretary-general Pol Maj Suriya Singhakamol was to meet AFP officers yesterday to exchange intelligence and examine evidence, including the flight attendant's statements, travel records and details of the intended recipient of the parcel in Australia, said ONCB spokeswoman Areepak Ngernbumrung.

Officials also plan to coordinate intelligence on transnational drug trafficking networks.

The ONCB said the Melbourne flight was part of the attendant's normal work roster and had not been swapped with another crew member.

Investigators said she regularly worked services to Melbourne.

Ms Areepak said investigators had found no evidence at this stage showing that the flight attendant was a member of a drug trafficking syndicate. However, neither have they concluded she was an unwitting victim.

Ms Areepak said investigators had raised several questions, including why the woman agreed to carry a parcel to Australia despite the country's strict drug controls. While some cabin crew offer parcel-carrying services, many avoid doing so because of the risks involved.

The payment she received for carrying the package was only 8,800 baht, an amount investigators considered unusually low given the potential legal risks.

Officials also noted that neither her family circumstances nor lifestyle suggested unexplained wealth, Ms Areepak said.

"It is still too early to conclude whether she was exploited by a transnational drug trafficking network," Ms Areepak said, adding investigators must examine all possibilities before drawing conclusions.

Authorities are also seeking to identify the parcel's intended recipient in Australia, whose name was written in English on the shipment, although officials have yet to determine the person's nationality or whether the identity was genuine.

Investigators are tracing a Facebook account using the name "Rose Rose", which contacted the flight attendant through Messenger between June 18-19 after she advertised a parcel-carrying service on Facebook. The account was deactivated shortly after the arrest.

ONCB cyber specialists are examining the account's activity and have found it had contacted several airline crew members.