Thai authorities are looking into the case of a Thai flight attendant who was arrested for carrying heroin into Australia, to determine whether she was knowingly involved in drug smuggling.
The Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) has been exchanging information with the Australian Federal Police (AFP). Authorities on Monday searched the suspect’s condo in Bangkok and questioned her boyfriend.
Officers also met with the mother of the arrested attendant, identified as Meena, 26, in Phayao province on Tuesday.
The attendant, an employee of Thai Airways International, was arrested after a kilogramme of heroin was found hidden in her luggage. She was carrying 12 items of luggage, two of which were identified as unusual upon inspection, according to Australian news sources.
The street value of the seized drugs was reportedly A$500,000 (11.4 million baht).
Investigators have found a conversation between the attendant and a Facebook user who was looking for someone to bring a package to Australia, according to police.
The poster, using the avatar name “Rose”, said a 20-kilogramme space was needed to carry “OTOP Thai goods”, referring to the One Tambon, One Product programme.
According to police, Ms Meena and her boyfriend communicated with the user and verified the person’s credibility before agreeing to a fee of 8,800 baht. The “Rose” account has since been deleted.
CCTV footage showed a man delivering a package in front of Ms Meena’s condominium on June 22. It remains unclear what was inside.
The suspect’s friends said that Ms Meena had a side job as a personal shopper, taking orders, buying goods and shipping them to clients. The activity is normally not allowed for cabin crew but flight attendants frequently supplement their income this way.
Investigators examining Ms Meena’s financial records found no irregularities. The balance in her bank account was not unusually large, police said.
Responding to questions about whether the attendant knew she was transporting drugs, police said fairness must be extended to her for now.
The mother told investigators her daughter did not earn much and she was still paying off her student loan debt, police said.
Australian authorities denied her bail, and said it would take about four weeks to have more information about the case.
