The intended recipient of heroin found in the luggage of a Thai flight attendant in Australia has been partly identified, while Thai authorities are attempting to locate the car that delivered the drugs to the woman’s residence in Bangkok.
The drugs were to be delivered to a woman identified by the Australian Federal Police by the nickname “Dear”, and the delivery point was a hotel, according to the Narcotics Law Enforcement Bureau.
The information was disclosed during questioning of the attendant identified only as Meena, 26, by Australian police. It is not known whether Dear is a Thai national or foreigner.
The flight attendant was arrested at Melbourne Airport last Thursday after Australian Border Force officers found 1.8 kilogrammes of heroin hidden in two of 12 elephant tote bags in her luggage.
She has been remanded in custody in Melbourne and could face up to 25 years in prison for drug trafficking. Her first court appearance has been scheduled for Sept 14.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, meanwhile, appears to have concluded that the flight attendant knew she was carrying drugs, something investigators have said is not yet clear.
He described the smuggling attempt as “very short-sighted and not clever”, noting that Australian authorities routinely screen arriving baggage with sniffer dogs.
Thai and Australian drug busters are working together to identify the syndicate behind the shipment by trying to trace the source of the package that was delivered to Ms Meena’s condominium on June 22.
She had earlier agreed in an online chat with a person using the name “Rose Rose” to deliver a dozen elephant-print tote bags to Australia for a fee of 8,800 baht.
Ms Meena told investigators that someone connected to “Rose Rose” was due to collect the parcel at a hotel in Melbourne.
Thai authorities are working with Meta, the parent company of Facebook, to identify the owner of the “Rose Rose” account, which has since been deleted.
Meanwhile, the search continues for the driver who dropped the parcel at Ms Meena’s building. The man told security guards that he was from Grab.
