Phuket Police Bust Major Meth Smuggling Network Using Household Appliances

Authorities in Phuket have dismantled a large-scale methamphetamine supply network that used household appliances to smuggle drugs onto the island. Nearly 200,000 meth pills were seized, and two suspects were taken into custody.

At a press briefing on April 4, Provincial Police Commander Sinlert Sukhum revealed that the investigation began after officers intercepted a shipment of 19,892 pills in Satun province on March 30. The drugs had been concealed inside evaporative air coolers.

Further inquiries led police to identify the sender and uncover seven more parcels destined for Phuket. Operations carried out on April 2 in Mueang Phuket and Thalang districts resulted in significant seizures.

In the first case, a man and a woman were arrested while collecting four packages from a courier office in Rassada. Inside the appliances, officers discovered approximately 97,800 methamphetamine tablets.

In a separate incident, two additional parcels were delivered to a restaurant in Cherng Talay but were never claimed. Upon inspection, authorities found another 100,000 pills. While officials did not specify whether the drugs were hidden inside the devices or packaged alongside them, the appliances were displayed to the media along with the seized narcotics.

In total, police confiscated around 197,800 meth tablets—marking one of the largest drug seizures ever reported on the island. Investigations are ongoing as authorities work to identify other members of the network.

The estimated street value of the drugs is at least 10 million baht, though profits could have exceeded 20 million baht if the substances had been distributed locally.

Officials from the Phuket Public Relations Department noted that using parcel delivery services remains a common tactic among traffickers. Earlier in the week, authorities seized 32,000 pills during an undercover operation, and another 3,000 were found in a vehicle at the Tha Chatchai checkpoint. In all cases, the packaging bore similar markings, including the “999” label.