A Brazilian student was caught at Bali airport in Indonesia with 9.1 grams of cannabis, which he had allegedly bought in Thailand, prompting warnings to both Thais and foreigners travelling from Thailand not to carry cannabis, hemp or their extracts when they leave for countries where those substances remain illegal.
According to “Coconuts Bali”, the 25-year-old boarded an Air Asia flight from Kuala Lumpur last week. He was arrested upon arrival at the Ngurah Rai airport in Bali after an X-ray detected four suspicious packets in his luggage, which was found to be cannabis. The packages were labelled “Super Mao” (super high). The university student claimed that he brought the cannabis from Thailand.
He was immediately detained.
Deputy Commissioner of Thailand’s Immigration Bureau Pol Maj-Gen Archayon Kraithong said today (Wednesday) that the arrest of the Brazilian man should serve as a warning to tourists that, even though cannabis, with a THC content of less than 0.2% by weight, has been decriminalised in Thailand, they should carefully study the laws of countries they plan to visit, vis a vis the legal status of cannabis.
He warned that, in some countries, the penalties for drug possession are very tough, including capital punishment.
He said that the Immigration Bureau has been coordinating with airlines and airports across Thailand to inform tourists about the risks of taking cannabis or its extracts out of Thailand.
The Thai embassy in Indonesia has previously warned, via its Facebook page, that possession of controlled narcotics, including cannabis, in Indonesia may result in imprisonment, from 5 years to life, or the death penalty, and/or a fine of up to 1 billion Rupiah (~2.3 million baht) if convicted.
Thailand decriminalised cannabis and hemp, except for extracts with a THC content exceeding 0.2% by weight, on June 9th, prompting a boom in cultivation, use and sales. Minors aged under 20, pregnant and breastfeeding women have been barred access to the substance, while smoking marijuana in public has been banned.
Thais warned not to take cannabis or hemp products to some countries
