Thai female police captain detained in China for 2 months after cannabis found in paid courier cans; not prosecuted as unaware. Investigation ongoing.
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Source: OT-Team(G), Thairath, Thailand Headlines
On July 8, Thailand's Royal Thai Police (RTP) issued its latest statement regarding a female police captain who was allegedly hired to carry cannabis to China in early January this year.
At present, the officer's affiliated agency, the Police General Hospital, has ordered the establishment of a fact-finding committee to investigate the case. If any wrongdoing is confirmed, she will face strict disciplinary action as well as criminal proceedings in accordance with the law. Meanwhile, Thailand's Narcotics Suppression Bureau (NSB) is simultaneously expanding its investigation to trace the source of the cannabis involved in the case.
According to reports, the incident occurred in early January this year. The female police captain was hired to carry 30 cans of canned coix seed (Job's tears) from Suvarnabhumi Airport to China. Upon her arrival, Chinese law enforcement authorities discovered cannabis concealed inside the cans and immediately took her into custody for investigation. She was detained for approximately two months. Following the investigation, Chinese prosecutors concluded that the available evidence showed the officer was an unwitting victim in the paid courier chain and had been unaware that the items she was carrying contained illegal drugs. They therefore decided not to prosecute her and repatriated her to Thailand in March this year.
On July 8, an RTP spokesperson said that the Narcotics Suppression Bureau and the officer's affiliated agency are currently verifying the facts and carrying out the relevant procedures simultaneously. Preliminary findings indicate that the officer accepted the paid courier job through a social media page advertising item transportation services while traveling to China, unaware that narcotics had been concealed in the luggage.
The spokesperson said the case reflects a shift in the methods used by transnational drug trafficking syndicates. Criminal groups are exploiting social media users' habits by posting paid courier advertisements through unfamiliar pages or contacts, luring people into unknowingly transporting illegal drugs. He reminded the public not to accept requests to receive or carry items overseas on behalf of others. Even if the payment is minimal, they may become tools of criminal organizations and will be held legally responsible under the laws of the destination country.
When asked about the progress of the investigation and whether the officer knew drugs had been hidden in the items, the spokesperson said it was still too early to draw conclusions and that the relevant authorities must first complete their investigation. He emphasized that whether an act constitutes a criminal offense is determined under the laws of the destination country and handled in accordance with the principle of territorial jurisdiction. Within the Thai police, the officer's affiliated agency has already initiated disciplinary fact-finding procedures. If it is confirmed that any police officer has violated the law, disciplinary and criminal proceedings will be pursued in parallel in accordance with the policy of the Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police. He reiterated the Commissioner's clear policy: officers with good performance should be commended, while those who violate discipline or the law will be held strictly accountable through both disciplinary and criminal proceedings.
When asked whether any special reminders or additional preventive measures would be introduced for police officers, the spokesperson said police personnel are already subject to stricter disciplinary standards than ordinary citizens and civilian government officials, and that every officer must clearly understand and strictly comply with these fundamental requirements.
According to additional reports, the Police General Hospital has formally established a fact-finding committee, while the Narcotics Suppression Bureau has also expanded the scope of its investigation to trace the source of the cannabis and identify the upstream suppliers and downstream network linked to the case.
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