A 26-year-old Thai woman who headed an attempt to smuggle narcotics from Thailand to South Korea has been arrested as a result of cooperation between the authorities of both countries.
Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) secretary-general Pol Lt Gen Panurat Lakboonto yesterday announced the arrest of a woman called Kanokwan (surname withheld), who allegedly masterminded the smuggling operation.
The ONCB, South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) and the Korean National Police Agency had previously seized ketamine hidden in powder cans that were being shipped to South Korea on March 30.
Pol Lt Gen Panurat said the ONCB received information about two individuals who were behind the drug operation following the seizure, so it requested arrest warrants for them.
The agency also found the individuals were visiting South Korea, so it tipped the NIS off about their presence in the country.
The NIS later informed the ONCB that the two were imprisoned in South Korea for three months on a drug charge before returning to Thailand. One of them, Ms Kanokwan, was arrested by the ONCB and the NIS at a dorm room in Bangkok's Thawi Watthana district on Tuesday.
"The ONCB regularly cooperates closely with domestic and international law enforcement agencies by sharing information," said Pol Lt Gen Panurat. "The recent arrest will boost South Korea's confidence in Thailand's attempts to crack down on drugs."
