Five foreigners have been detained at Samui airport trying to smuggle 140 kilograms of cannabis to London via Singapore; four Britons and a Malaysian have pleaded guilty to the charges.

A major drug smuggling scheme has been uncovered on the island of Koh Samui in Thailand. On March 12, 2025, 140 kilograms of dried cannabis flowers worth about 4 million Thai baht (approximately $118,340) were seized at Samui International Airport from five foreign nationals trying to smuggle the contraband to London via Singapore. Four of the detainees were British nationals, while the fifth was a Malaysian citizen.

Airport security staff discovered the suspicious items in seven suitcases during an X-ray scan at the international departure terminal. Police from Bophut Station and Samui Island Customs officials were immediately called in and detained the five foreigners for questioning.

During the inspection, vacuum bags containing dried cannabis flowers were found in each of the seven suitcases. The investigation found that two men from the UK were carrying 85.34 kilograms of cannabis in four suitcases, while two female citizens of the same country were carrying 35.8 kilograms in two suitcases. A Malaysian national had 22.8 kilograms of the illicit substance in one suitcase.

When questioned, the British men admitted that they had been instructed to transport the cannabis to London in exchange for debt relief in the UK. The women said they were promised £2,000 (about $2,590) each for successfully delivering the packages to London. A Malaysian national admitted that he was to receive 6,000 ringgit (about US$1,355) for shipping his suitcase to Singapore.

All five detainees claimed that the suitcases with the drugs already packed were delivered by Thai nationals to their hotels before their flights. The suspects were charged with attempting to export goods without customs clearance and violating the Thai Traditional Thai Medicine Protection and Promotion Act as it relates to controlled herbs (cannabis). The defendants pleaded guilty to all counts and asked for the case to be resolved through customs procedures by handing over the confiscated items to the state.

The case was further evidence of the growing problem of cannabis smuggling from Thailand following the relaxation of legislation on the plant. The official source said smugglers are increasingly targeting smaller airports, such as the airport on Koh Samui, where security measures are traditionally less stringent than at major transportation hubs such as Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport. The source noted that dried cannabis flowers from Thailand could be sold on the British market for several times their original value.

The incident echoes previous statements by Police Lieutenant General Krittapol Yisakorn, commander of the provincial police of Province No. 5, who warned of numerous cases of attempted smuggling of cannabis flowers by foreign nationals exploiting gaps in Thai cannabis control laws that allow its possession and transportation within the country. This case once again raises the need for stricter controls on cannabis trafficking in Thailand to prevent the use of relaxed legislation for criminal purposes.

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