This archive report was first published on 22 August 2019.
On Wednesday, authorities in Thailand arrested a Kenyan national, Glenn Chibasellow Ooko, 43, at Suvarnabhumi International Airport for attempting to smuggle 1,200 grams of cocaine into the country.
According to the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB), Ooko had flown in from Ethiopia on Monday and was detained after an X-ray revealed dozens of quadrilateral shaped items in his stomach, which were filled with cocaine.
‘He swallowed cocaine weighing 1.2 kilograms, which were in 68 packets,’ the ONCB stated.
Investigations revealed that Ooko was allegedly hired by a Nigerian national, Joseph Ukpa Osita, 40, to bring drugs into Southeast Asian countries. Osita was later arrested in Bangkok.
Thailand has been a major hub for drug smuggling, with its porous borders and lax law enforcement making it easier for transnational crime networks to transport their goods.
Since October 2018, airport task force officers have arrested 43 people for drug smuggling offences, with seven suspects attempting to bring drugs into the country and 38 trying to smuggle drugs out.
