Police in Thailand discover nearly S$4M worth of drugs hidden in Buddha statues

Police in Thailand uncover drugs hidden in Buddha statues

Thai police have uncovered at least ฿100 million (S$3,874,272) worth of drugs hidden inside three abandoned Buddha statues.

The statues were discovered along the roadside in Nakhon Phanom, a Thai province bordering Laos.

Police believe the statues are part of a cross-border drug smuggling operation, according to Thairath.

Smugglers hide drugs in religious idols

The three statues were discovered on Monday (18 Nov).

Source: Thairath

Local police canvassing the area came upon the suspicious objects in the Tha Uthen District after receiving a tip-off of a possible drug smuggling operation.

It is believed that the smugglers had tossed the statues out of their vehicle, thus damaging the items.

Inside the statues, police found 32 packs of heroin, each weighing around 400 grams.

Source: @Thairath_TV on X

There was also around 117kg of methamphetamine in the statues.

Source: @Thairath_TV on X

Police believe the drugs were smuggled in from Laos

Police suspect that the smugglers traversed the Mekong River to cross from Laos to Thailand.

Furthermore, the plastic bags and copy paper used to package the drugs contained Lao script.

Source: Thairath

Because methamphetamine and heroin are usually exported, police suspect these drugs were meant to be shipped internationally from Thailand.

Also read: Drug smugglers disguise S$6.5M worth of meth as watermelons, fake fruit seized at US-Mexico border

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Featured image adapted from the @Thairath_TV on X and Thairath.