This archive report was first published on 11 November 2019.
On November 11, 2019, Thai authorities made a significant arrest at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, revealing a shocking attempt to smuggle cocaine into the country.
A Kenyan woman, Suamu Nkele, was caught with over 1.2 kilograms of cocaine hidden in her stomach, as well as more in her socks and underwear.
According to the Thai Office of the Narcotics Control Board, Ms. Nkele had just landed from Luanda, the Angolan capital, when an x-ray scan revealed the hidden cocaine.
Drug trafficking is punishable by death in Thailand, making Ms. Nkele's arrest a serious matter.
Her case is not an isolated incident, as a Kenyan man, Glen Chibasellow Ooko, was apprehended at the same airport three months prior for swallowing 68 packets of cocaine weighing 1.2 kilograms.
Ooko was arrested alongside a Nigerian national, Osita Joseph Ukpa, who allegedly hired the Kenyan to smuggle the drugs. The two had traveled from Ethiopia and were reportedly part of a larger drug network operating in Thailand.
