Thai officials seize 320kg of ketamine concealed in iron robots heading for Taiwan

The bust on Friday, led by narcotics suppression officers and the Customs Department, also resulted in the arrest of a Thai woman. The incident took place in the offices of a private transportation company in Bangkok.

This comes on the heels of a similar seizure by Australian authorities on March 12, when 108kg of methamphetamine tables were found hidden inside food processing equipment imported from Thailand.

Extensive investigation revealed that the sender of these illegal goods was a Thai woman, and suspicion was raised when investigators learned on Wednesday she was sending a shipment of robot dolls to Taiwan.

Thai authorities then collaborated with Taiwan’s Justice Ministry to inspect the goods and found the massive haul of 320 kilograms of ketamine.

During interrogation, the suspect said that she had been receiving instructions from a woman in Laos to arrange the shipments.

This latest seizure highlights Thailand’s ongoing efforts to combat drug trafficking. Since 2022, Thai authorities have intercepted more than 1.8 tonnes of methamphetamine and 265kg of heroin. Destinations included Australia, Taiwan, Malaysia and Hong Kong.

The modus operandi usually involves transporting narcotics through private docks and personal ports in Thailand’s eastern region, such as Chanthaburi, Rayong, Trat, and Chachoengsao. From there, the drugs are loaded onto smaller vessels like fishing boats, long-tail boats or speedboats, before being transferred to larger vessels waiting offshore. Since these ships are stationed in international waters, nobody has the jurisdiction to crack down on them.

Hence, authorities believe heightened surveillance is necessary to curb this clandestine method of drug trafficking.