Rider urged to come forward in Thai woman's Japan meth case

Investigators probing the arrest of a Thai woman in Japan for allegedly attempting to smuggle methamphetamine into the country have urged the rider who delivered a package containing methamphetamine hidden in packets of coffee to report to police to establish his innocence.

The Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) Deputy Secretary-General Areepak Ngernbumroong said today that investigators are analysing information, including the delivery method, travel route and the identity of the sender, in connection with the delivery of the package to the 28-year-old woman, identified only as ‘Jutatip’.

“Investigators are also working to identify the male delivery rider captured on CCTV delivering the parcel to the woman's home before her departure to Japan,” she said. Footage is also being collected from surveillance cameras along the rider's route.

“I urge the rider to come forward voluntarily to explain who hired him, what delivery job he accepted and what he believed the parcel contained… If he is simply a delivery rider with no involvement in the drug trafficking network, he should report to police or contact the ONCB to establish his innocence,” Areepak said.

The appeal follows the July 11 arrest of Jutatip at Japan's Fukuoka Airport, after customs officers allegedly discovered crystal methamphetamine concealed inside packets of coffee in a 12-kilogram parcel she was carrying.

The woman had travelled from Bangkok with her boyfriend and another companion. The trio worked as couriers, transporting goods for Thais living in Japan.

Areepak said investigators are tracing a LINE account under the name ‘Ing Ing’, which allegedly hired the woman to transport the pre-packed parcel to Japan.

She said Japanese authorities have already sent samples of the seized substance for laboratory analysis. Preliminary findings indicate that the 12-kilogram parcel contained various consumer goods, while about 900 grams of crystal meth had been hidden inside packets of coffee.

The spokesperson also reiterated a warning to people offering cross-border courier services not to carry parcels for strangers, saying international drug syndicates frequently target travellers who advertise spare luggage space on social media.

“People accepting courier jobs without knowing the contents of the parcels risk becoming suspects in serious drug offences abroad,” Areepak said.

Japanese prosecutors are expected to decide on July 31 whether to indict the Thai woman. If prosecutors conclude, however, that she did not know that the parcel contained drugs, they could decide not to prosecute.

In that case, Thai authorities would coordinate her return to Thailand, although she could still face customs-related charges.

Areepak said investigators have also traced a payment of 3,600 baht deposited into the woman's bank account as payment for transporting the parcel. The transfer came from an account under the name ‘HO THI MAI’.

The woman's boyfriend told investigators that the couple have spent about two years transporting goods between Thailand and Japan and had previously accepted two courier jobs from the LINE account ‘Ing Ing’, insisting that they believed they were transporting legitimate goods.