A 20-year-old Malaysian man was arrested in Thailand after police allegedly found 166kg of methamphetamine, or syabu, in three locked suitcases inside a BMW.
The suspect was detained at about 12.30am on Saturday after stopping in front of a convenience store in Hua Hin district, Thailand.
Hua Hin Police Station superintendent Colonel Kampanat Nawichai said officers had earlier detected a vehicle believed to be transporting a large quantity of drugs from the area to southern Thailand before being smuggled into Malaysia.
He said police attempted to stop the BMW after identifying it as the suspected drug-carrying vehicle. However, the driver allegedly sped away after noticing the presence of officers before being intercepted outside the convenience store in Hua Hin.
A search of the vehicle uncovered three locked suitcases. The suspect reportedly told police that the luggage did not belong to him and claimed he did not know the codes needed to open them.
The suspect and BMW were subsequently taken to a police inspection centre for further investigation. The three suitcases were opened in the suspect’s presence, revealing a total of 166kg of suspected methamphetamine.
Kampanat said the suspect later admitted that he was travelling towards southern Thailand and intended to smuggle the drugs into Malaysia.
The case highlights ongoing concerns over cross-border drug trafficking routes involving Thailand and Malaysia, with authorities continuing to investigate the source of the drugs and the intended recipients.
If convicted under Thailand’s Narcotics Code, the suspect faces up to 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of five million baht, equivalent to about RM617,550.
