Customs officers arrested two women at Phuket International Airport (HKT) on July 9, 2026, after finding more than 32 kilograms of cannabis hidden in their luggage. Officers from Phuket Airport Customs House worked with Sakhu Police Station to search the suitcases inside the international departures terminal. The women, an 18-year-old Filipino national and a Thai national, were arrested separately on the same day at the same terminal, The Star reported).
Authorities say both suspects tried to take cannabis flowers out of Thailand without completing customs procedures. The first arrest happened around 11am, and the second followed at about 1pm. Both women admitted the suitcases and drugs belonged to them, and police later transferred them to Sakhu Police Station for further legal action).
.jpg){kind=link}
Two Separate Arrests Uncover Over 32kg of Cannabis
The first suspect, 18-year-old Levannah Chelsea Guzman from the Philippines, was stopped when officers inspected her black Pierre Cardin wheeled suitcase. Inside, they found 14 vacuum-sealed packages of cannabis flowers weighing 14.5 kilograms, including packaging. Guzman told officers the suitcase and its contents belonged to her
The second suspect, Penpitcha Phutsiang, a Thai national, was arrested about two hours later. According to Khaosod English, officers searched her green Swish Navy suitcase and found 16 vacuum-sealed packages of cannabis flowers weighing 17.6 kilograms, including packaging. She also admitted ownership of the suitcase and its contents.
Combined, the two seizures totaled more than 32 kilograms of cannabis flowers. Both suitcases were confiscated as evidence. Neither report has disclosed the women’s intended destination or the airline they planned to fly with.
.jpg){kind=link}
Charges Filed Under Thailand’s Customs and Narcotics Laws
Thai authorities charged both women with attempting to export goods without completing customs procedures. Officers also filed charges under Thailand’s Narcotics Code, the Traditional Thai Medicine Wisdom Protection and Promotion Act, and the Ministry of Public Health’s Controlled Herbs (Cannabis) Notification.
Under Thailand’s Customs Act, attempting to export prohibited goods can carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a fine of up to four times the value of the goods, or both. Both suspects and the seized cannabis were handed to investigators at Sakhu Police Station, where the legal process is ongoing.
.jpg){kind=link}
A Month of Repeated Cannabis Busts at Phuket Airport
This case is not an isolated one. Phuket International Airport has recorded at least four major cannabis seizures in July 2026 alone, together totaling more than 100 kilograms of product. The pattern points to a steady stream of couriers attempting to move cannabis out of Thailand through the same terminal.
- July 1: Two Uzbek nationals, both 26, were arrested with a combined 31.5 kilograms of cannabis flowers, resin, and processed products hidden across four suitcases.
- July 7: A 21-year-old Belgian tourist, Salma El Khnati, was arrested with 31.7 kilograms of cannabis packed into two suitcases as she prepared to board a flight to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG).
- July 8: A 30-year-old Russian national, Sergei Sharabari, was arrested with roughly 17.6 kilograms of cannabis flowers and resin, allegedly bound for Almaty, Kazakhstan, with an estimated street value exceeding 9.5 million baht.
- July 9: The two women covered in this article were arrested with a combined 32.1 kilograms.
Pol Col Salan Santisatsanakul, superintendent of Sakhu Police Station, said the Belgian arrest resulted from “coordinated operations between customs and security agencies to strengthen passenger and baggage screening at Phuket International Airport and prevent the illegal export of cannabis and other prohibited goods”. He added that authorities would continue to enforce the law strictly against anyone trying to smuggle controlled substances out of the country.
Thai Airways Drug Case Adds to Aviation Industry’s Smuggling Scrutiny
Phuket’s cannabis seizures come as Thai aviation faces separate drug smuggling scrutiny involving its national carrier. A Thai Airways (TG) flight attendant was arrested at Melbourne Airport (MEL), Melbourne, on June 25, 2026, after officers found more than one kilogram of heroin concealed in the lining of 12 tote bags in her luggage.
The 26-year-old crew member was working aboard flight TG465 from Bangkok (BKK) to Melbourne when Australian Border Force officers flagged anomalies during an X-ray screening. The heroin had an estimated street value of around 500,000 Australian dollars. She now faces two charges that each carry a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison.
AFP Acting Commander Simone Butcher said the agency remains “unwavering in its efforts to target individuals who use their employment or community standing to support drug trafficking”.
Thai Airways, which also serves the Phuket route from its Bangkok hub, confirmed it launched an internal disciplinary investigation into the crew member following her arrest. Unlike the Phuket cannabis cases, this incident involved heroin moving into Australia rather than cannabis leaving Thailand, but both point to the same trend of couriers exploiting aviation routes to move narcotics across borders.
UK Demand Fuels Thailand’s Cannabis Export Crisis
Thailand’s cannabis export problem traces back to a wider international trend. The UK’s National Crime Agency formally notified the Thai government in 2024 that Thailand had become a major source of cannabis smuggled into Britain. Seizures of cannabis arriving from Thailand at UK airports increased tenfold compared to the previous peak recorded in 2022.
Out of 605 suspects arrested in the UK in 2024 for attempting to smuggle cannabis, 460 had traveled directly from Thailand. That trend continued into 2025, with 540 suspects arrested for similar offenses, including 460 who had departed from Thai airports. One trafficking organizer, identified only as “Zee,” told the BBC that he expected most of his couriers to get caught, but that successful shipments generated enough profit to absorb those losses. He described strong demand in Britain for premium cannabis similar to products now widely available in Thailand.
Criminal networks increasingly recruit foreign tourists as one-time couriers rather than relying on established smugglers. Many are intercepted before departure, while others successfully carry drugs out of Thailand to feed overseas markets.
Customs Seizures Surge as Thailand Tightens Airport Screening
The scale of the crackdown extends well beyond Phuket. Customs Department Director-General Phantong Loykulnanta said that since October of the previous year, Thai officials had seized 37,210 kilograms of cannabis nationwide, worth an estimated 474 million baht.
Since the beginning of this week, the Royal Thai Police have deployed additional K9 units to help customs officers at Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK). The dogs work around the clock to conduct random baggage inspections, a response to intensified screening measures introduced following the Thai Airways heroin case in Australia. Phuket International Airport has followed the same approach, with customs officers stepping up physical inspections of outbound luggage across both its international and domestic terminals.
What Happens Next for the Two Suspects
Both Guzman and Phutsiang remain in the custody of investigators at Sakhu Police Station as the case moves through Thailand’s legal system. Authorities have not disclosed further details about the intended destination of their flights or any wider network connected to the seizure.
Thailand’s Narcotics Code and Customs Act carry significant penalties for attempted cannabis exports, and past cases at Phuket International Airport suggest prosecutors pursue these cases seriously regardless of the suspect’s nationality. The Belgian, Russian, and Uzbek cases from earlier in July all resulted in formal charges and transfer to police custody for further legal proceedings, following the same pattern authorities are now applying to this case.