This archive report was first published on 21 August 2019.
On August 21, 2019, Thai authorities announced the arrest of a Kenyan man at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport for allegedly trying to smuggle cocaine.
Glenn Chibasellow Ooko, 43, had flown in from Ethiopia on Monday and was detained upon arrival.
According to the Office of the Narcotics Control Board, an x-ray revealed dozens of oblong items in Ooko's stomach, which were later found to contain cocaine.
"He swallowed cocaine weighing 1.2 kilograms, which were in 68 packets," the ONCB announced in a statement.
Ooko was arrested along with Nigerian national Osita Joseph Ukpa, who police said had hired the Kenyan to smuggle the drugs.
Thailand has long been a major drug smuggling hub, with its porous borders and lax law enforcement making it easier for transnational crime networks to transport their goods.
