British tourists trying to smuggle cannabis in and out of Thailand is nothing new but stories about this seem to be on the rise.
Four tried to cover their faces while they were arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle 131kg of cannabis out of Koh Samui airport in Thailand on March 15.
Their eight suitcases were stuffed full of vacuum-sealed bags of marijuana grown on the island.
The baggage owners, Antony Paul Mudd, 62, from London, Billy Daniel Harman, 36, from Newham, Philip Edward Goldstone, 63, from West Ham, and John George Canning, 34, from London, were detained.
A police spokesman said: ‘The suspects claimed they were hired by an employer abroad to travel to Thailand and smuggle cannabis out of the country.
‘The employer arranged for travel tickets and accommodation for them, and they would receive the cannabis-packed suitcases at their hotels.
‘They travelled to Koh Samui through a domestic flight from Bangkok. The alleged smugglers’ were flying to Singapore with their final destination being London in England.
‘Using cannabis is legal in Thailand but it cannot be exported or carried out of the country. That is a crime and police will catch offenders.’
It comes after 10 British people, one Malaysian, one Dutch, and one Romanian, were caught at Samui International Airport earlier this month reportedly attempting to carry cannabis to the UK.
Earlier that week, on March 12, another four Brits and a Malaysian were arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle 144kg of cannabis through that same airport to the UK and Singaport.
UK citizens Mark Siemaszkiewicz, 46, Richard McMahon, 46, Oluwatosin Peace Adefila, 27, and Bose Esther Fakuade, 26, were made to pose pointing at the suitcases stuff with vacuum-packed cannabis.
On March 11, Middlesbrough man Shaun Eric Bainbridge, 36, and Mark Searson-Smith, 23, from Liverpool, were arrested there for alleged drug smuggling.
Another British tourist Darryl Poole, 30, from Camden, north London, was detained on March 17 for allegedly trying to smuggle 165kg of cannabis out of Thailand from the same airport.
Two ‘suspicious’ bags from the illegal haul were left behind and British tourist, Mohammed Azeem Ahmed, 26, was identified as one of the luggage owners on March 14.
He reportedly left Thailand on a flight to Hong Kong, but was last seen departing a hotel with Darryl and security footage allegedly showed Darryl handed the bag to Mohammed.
He was traced to The Stay Chaweng Beach Resort, where staff confirmed he had stored around 12 large suitcases.
Darryl was arrested on Koh Samui while intercepting a vehicle he had hired to transport the suitcases to Bangkok. The luggage was filled with plastic packs of cannabis.
It is believed the suspect, spooked by increased security at Koh Samui’s airport, decided to ship the drugs to Bangkok first before trying to smuggle them out of the country.
Police Lieutenant General Panumas Boonyalak said: ‘We found that Poole managed the cannabis and hired Ahmed to export it out of the country illegally.
‘We charged him with possessing controlled herbs (cannabis) for selling or trading without permission and apprehended him at Koh Samui Police Station for legal action.
‘Currently, relevant officers are coordinating to intercept the cannabis smuggling network heavily to prevent them from getting out of the country. We are also investigating the employer and relevant individuals in the country.’
Just recently, another group of four British tourists were caught red-handed trying to smuggle seven suitcases of cannabis out of Thailand.
A British tourist was recently arrested at Phuket airport after cocaine allegedly fell from his pocket during a meltdown.
Why are so many British people getting arrested?
Thailand, a country known to be tough on drugs, surprisingly decriminalised cannabis in 2022.
Since then, thousands of cannabis farms have grown across the country, leading authorities in recent times to clamp down on the drugs again.
Locals have particularly hit out at the rise of ‘drug tourism’ in the country, which has encouraged more young people to use the drug.
Many British people on holiday in Thailand have been caught under the influence since decriminalisation in 2022.
Cannabis smoking is allowed for personal use in private areas but remains prohibited in public spaces.
Importing and exporting the drug from the country though remains illegal.
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However, Thai authorities are now discussing tighter security measures to catch out smugglers, which could explain the recent increase in reported arrests.
According to the National Crime Agency (NCA), the growing trend of cannabis smuggling is fuelled by organised crime groups.
These groups have access to cannabis grown overseas in locations where it is legal like Thailand.
They then recruit couriers to transport it to the UK where it can generate greater profit for them.
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