Monday May 12, 2008
Drug ring uses Thai call girls
NEW DELHI: An international drug cartel may be deploying Thai sex workers as “merchants of death” to smuggle heroin out of India for African drug dealers in Kuala Lumpur.
This follows the arrest by Indian airport authorities of a second Thai woman in less than two weeks attempting to smuggle heroin worth RM2mil into Kuala Lumpur.
Pincahao Khronvipa alias Pinkae, 34, believed to be a sex worker, was alleged to have concealed the 2.2kg drug in her hand baggage.
She was about to fly out from Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad on Saturday night when she was arrested.
The Hyderabad-based Deccan Chronicle, quoting senior police officials, said an African national had paid the woman between US$2,000 and US$3,000 (RM6,000 and RM9,000) to smuggle the drugs to Kuala Lumpur.
“This was Pincahao’s first visit to the country. Her passport shows that she regularly visited several Gulf countries, Singapore and Malaysia.
“She could have been used as a courier by a major drug cartel. We can’t rule out the involvement of the international drug mafia,” said police officials.
The woman was arrested on intelligence alert although she escaped several security checks at the new airport.
The woman, suspected to be a drug mule for the African, was believed to have flown from Delhi to Hyderabad on Friday, and stayed overnight at the airport before attempting to depart for Kuala Lumpur.
With the arrest, Indian police are now trying to piece together all the evidence to check whether she belonged to a drug syndicate using Indian airports as a transit to supply drugs to an international drug cartel based in several Southeast Asian capitals.
On April 30, Chennai authorities detained Punsakon Patchrut, 25, another Thai woman courier who tried to smuggle 4.9kg heroin worth RM5mil to Kuala Lumpur. – Bernama
News Poll
- Transsexual worries for safety after negative reactions to ‘marriage’
- Two managers killed in payroll grab
- Pol-sec said to have amassed wealth under probe
- DPP: Rape victim’s story consistent
- Hisham: Johor and Negri princes may settle case out of court
- High Court reduces housewife's jail term to 12 years (Update)
- Government paid RM125mil to maintain cars, says Najib
- Recognition for 700-year-old Batu Bersurat
- Fatine’s family pleading for him to come home
- Police detain woman over Nusajaya payroll grab
- Transsexual worries for safety after negative reactions to ‘marriage’
- PTPTN loans – no more excuses for non-payment
- Two managers killed in payroll grab
- DPP: Rape victim’s story consistent
- MIDA – shifting the nation into hi-technology
- Malaysians urged to be wary of second wave of H1N1 (Update)
- Pol-sec said to have amassed wealth under probe
- AirAsia to add more flights to HK
- Malaysia first in region to adopt benchmark for educators
- High Court reduces housewife's jail term to 12 years (Update)
RSS
