PHUKET - Three smugglers have been caught at Phuket airport - a South African woman taking 16 kilogrammes of heroin to Uganda and two suspected scammers, Uzbeks, bringing 35 mobile phones into Thailand.
The Customs Department said the South African had hidden the heroin in pet food bags and was caught during departure checks before boarding a flight to Entebbe on Thursday night.
She was charged and held in custody for legal processing. She was identified as Buhle Jali, 32.
Officials estimated the local price of the heroin at 48 million baht, and said it would be worth twice that in Uganda.
On Friday, customs officials at the airport arrested two arriving Uzbeks found to have 35 used mobile phones in their bags. The phones were detected when their luggage was x-rayed.
The two were charged with smuggling the phones into Thailand. Officials suspected they were involved in scamming. The investigation was continuing. Their names were not released.
An x-ray shows mobile phones inside one of the arriving Uzbeks' bags, at Phuket airport on Friday. (Photo: Customs Department)
