Thai authorities have seized crystal methamphetamine with a street value of almost $41.5 million, stuffed inside punching bags bound for Australia.
Key points:
- More than 193kg of the drugs were hidden among 15 bags
- Authorities grew suspicious of the training equipment, which is not in high demand in Australia
- Australia consumes approximately 11 tons of methamphetamine per year
Customs officers inspected the shipment after growing suspicious of the Thai-made boxing equipment that is not in high demand in Australia, Thai and Australian officials investigating the matter told a news conference in Bangkok.
More than 193kg of the drug, also known as ice, was hidden among 15 different bags.
Surrounded by cameras, a Thai customs official sliced through a long cardboard box and then the red outer layer of the boxing punch bag, exposing the drugs hidden amongst the stuffing.
“Australia consumes around 11 tons of methamphetamine per year,” Australian Border Force Acting Superintendent Joel Carruthers said.
Methamphetamine production in South-East Asia’s Golden Triangle — a border region between Thailand, Laos and Myanmar — has been increasing sharply in recent years, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
Reuters
