A couple from the Philippines has been arrested in Bangkok, accused of shipping 10 kilograms of dried cannabis to Manila. It’s alleged the couple planned to sell the drug in their home country.
Cannabis has been decriminalised in Thailand in June 2022 (although about to be recriminalised for recreational use), but in the Phillipines it is still illegal to import or use marijuana in any form without written medical consent.
35 year old John Andrew Tiangson, and his wife, 30 year old Eena Bianca Marie Cruz, were arrested by Thai immigration police on Tuesday, April 9.
Oh… They were also found to have overstayed their visas by 9 YEARS!
Phanthana Nuchanart, deputy chief of the Immigration Bureau, says the couple was apprehended at a property on Soi On Nut 65, in the Prawet district of the capital. The arrests were the result of a tip-off from the authorities in the Philippines after customs officers in Manila intercepted a parcel of 10 kilos of dried cannabis in February.
The shipment had been sent from Bangkok using a parcel service, according to Phanthana. He says dried marijuana can be sold for around 975 baht per gram in the Philippines, with the confiscated parcel having an estimated street value of 10 million baht.
The duo has been handed over to Prawet police to face charges and prosecution. They are expected to eventually be deported, with Phanthana saying they will be blacklisted for 10 years.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
