Police have seized more than two kilograms of crystal methamphetamine (Ice), hidden inside jars of tamarind paste intended for shipment to Japan, leading to the arrest of a Thai national linked to a transnational crime syndicate.
The investigation began when a local courier, identified as ‘Patcharanan’, alerted authorities to suspicious packages left under a building on Borommaratchachonnani Road in the Arun Amarin sub-district of Bangkok's Bangkok Noi district.
Pol. Maj. Mangkorn Phanthurasri, investigation chief at Bang Yi Khan police station, led a team to inspect the 40x60cm cardboard box following the report.
Patcharanan told police that a Facebook user, posting under the account name "Chayamin Pai" contacted her on July 3, 2026, to hire her for a product delivery from Thailand to Japan.
The following day, a delivery rider dropped off the package at the designated building.
On July 7, prior to her scheduled departure to Japan, Patcharanan inspected the box before transferring the contents into her luggage.
She noticed that six jars containing liquid tamarind paste were unusually heavy. Upon opening one, she discovered a hard white substance packed inside a transparent plastic bag.
The shipment also contained 12 other everyday items, including instant noodles, candy, jelly, dried coconut, snacks, seasonings, peanut butter and herbal inhalers.
Alarmed by the discovery, she repackaged the items and contacted the police.
A forensic examination confirmed that the six tamarind jars contained a combined total of 2.059kg of crystal methamphetamine.
Investigators subsequently seized the drugs as evidence and initiated legal proceedings for the unauthorised possession and trafficking of a Type 1 narcotic for commercial distribution.
The follow-up investigation swiftly led to the arrest of Sompong Kaewphadee in the Thanyaburi district of Pathum Thani.
The operation was jointly executed by the Metropolitan Police Bureau's Investigation Division 1, the Metropolitan Police Division 7 and Bang Yi Khan investigators.
Sompong has been charged with participation in a transnational organised crime group.
During initial questioning, the suspect claimed that he had been in a relationship with a Vietnamese woman named Mali for over a year.
He alleged that he allowed her to use his bank accounts for financial convenience because of her foreign status.
Sompong stated that his partner is currently in Vietnam and scheduled to return next month.
He has been remanded in custody at Bang Yi Khan police station.
Bang Yi Khan police have already secured arrest warrants for four additional suspects linked to the network, including three Thai and one Vietnamese nationals.
Intelligence reports suggest that the entire trafficking ring may involve up to 15 individuals and the police are actively expanding their investigation to apprehend the remaining suspects.
