PHUKET, THAILAND – A 26-year-old woman from Bangladesh was arrested at Phuket International Airport with cocaine and forged travel documents, in a case that added to a series of drug offences on the resort island.
Arrest at the departure terminal
Immigration officers at Phuket airport detained the woman at the international departure terminal as she was about to board a flight back to Bangladesh. Authorities did not disclose her identity.
According to a report on the Facebook page of the Phuket Times, officers found 0.48 grams of cocaine in a small purse in her possession. Police said she was charged with possession of a Category 2 narcotic for personal use, an offence that could bring up to two years in prison, a fine of up to 40,000 baht, or both.
Forged documents and additional charges
The immigration authority stated that the woman was also carrying forged travel documents that she intended to use to leave Thailand. She was taken to Sakhu Police Station for further legal processing and faced additional charges of producing and using forged official documents.
Under Section 265 of the Criminal Code, those offences carried possible prison terms of six months to five years and fines ranging from 10,000 to 100,000 baht. The case formed part of a broader pattern of drug-related investigations on the island.
Series of recent drug investigations
The latest arrest followed several larger drug operations in Phuket. On 17 February, four foreign suspects were detained with more than 3.1 kilograms of cocaine, which police said was intended mainly for sale to foreign tourists in entertainment venues.
In January, two Russian men were arrested at a property in Rawai described by investigators as their “Mushroom Temple”. Police seized 10 kilograms of magic mushrooms, which, according to investigators, were offered together with spiritual guidance for supposed stress relief.
Further beachside cases on the island
In December of the previous year, administrative officers in Phuket arrested a Thai national and a British man who were found with cocaine. According to the report, the pair were alleged to have sold the drug to foreign tourists near Patong Beach.
Residents had alerted authorities to suspicious activities before the arrests took place. The succession of cases raised questions about whether the island was becoming a target for international drug networks or whether intensified checks were simply uncovering more offences.
Debate over Phuket’s drug situation
At Phuket International Airport, a 26-year-old woman from Bangladesh was detained shortly before her return flight. Police said 0.48 grams of cocaine were found in her handbag and that she had allegedly tried to leave the country using forged documents.
The report posed a series of questions about the broader context on the island:
“Is Phuket increasingly becoming a target for international drug networks? Are the authorities responding decisively enough? Or do the recent arrests mainly show that controls are working?”
said The Thaiger, citing the ongoing public debate over the island’s drug problem.