This archive report was first published on 8 November 2019.
On Saturday, customs officers at Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok caught Suamu Nkele, a Kenyan woman, attempting to smuggle over 1kg of cocaine into Thailand.
According to the Office of the Narcotics Control Board, an X-ray revealed that Suamu had swallowed 1.2kg of cocaine in a bid to avoid detection.
Thai authorities also found 38 oblong packets of cocaine in her abdomen and 42 more in her socks and underwear.
Drug trafficking is a capital offence in Thailand, punishable by death.
It is worth noting that this is not the first time a Kenyan has been arrested for drug trafficking in Thailand.
Just three months ago, another Kenyan, Glenn Chibasellow Ooko, was arrested at the same airport with 68 packets of cocaine, also weighing 1.2kg.
Ooko was arrested alongside Nigerian national Osita Joseph Ukpa, who police said had hired the Kenyan to smuggle the drugs.
Thailand is a major drug smuggling hub due to its porous borders and lax law enforcement.
