The ONCB director revealed the name "Dear" as the final recipient in the air hostess heroin smuggling case to Australia. It remains unconfirmed whether "Dear" is Thai or foreign. The investigation is expanding to examine concealment methods involving clothing and personal items, linking to drug networks in northeastern Thailand.
At 09:30 on 2 July 2026, Mr. Kanisorn Phapirun, director of the Narcotics Suppression Bureau, disclosed that following discussions with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) on 1 July, information was exchanged to assist further investigations. The clues provided included the name of the package recipient linked to Ms. Meena, based on her statements to Australian police. She said she was hired by a Facebook user named “Rose Rose” to deliver goods to a person in Australia. Upon arrival, a representative of “Rose Rose” was to collect the goods at a hotel, though the distance from the airport to the hotel is unknown. It remains unclear whether Ms. Meena was to deliver the package directly to the recipient, as she was arrested before this could be confirmed.
The recipient waiting for Ms. Meena’s package is nicknamed “Dear” and is female. Australian authorities have not confirmed whether she is Thai or foreign. Contact details for “Dear” have not been shared, as investigations including examination of Ms. Meena’s phone are ongoing.
Australian authorities have a clear division of responsibilities: the Australian Border Force (ABF) first inspects for illegal drugs, then refers cases to the AFP for prosecution. Phone investigations are conducted by a separate agency. This differs from Thailand, where all procedures occur at arrest. Efforts to trace the Facebook account “Rose Rose” involve cooperation with the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in Thailand.
Mr. Kanisorn said officials reviewed CCTV footage along the route near Ms. Meena’s condominium to identify the person who delivered the drug package. Preliminary findings show a man in a black hoodie unloading a box from a car trunk and handing it to condominium security, who logged the delivery as made by a Grab employee. It remains uncertain whether the man was truly a Grab delivery worker or impersonating one.
Intelligence indicates concealment methods similar to Ms. Meena’s case, especially heroin modified into thin sheets hidden with clothing. These networks originate from northeastern Thailand or Laos, then move drugs into inner Bangkok for shipment abroad, such as Australia. Packaging traces show heroin altered to be thin enough to hide in clothes or doormats, concealed within seams. Currently, two main northeastern networks with similar patterns are under investigation.
Mr. Kanisorn explained that the package found in Ms. Meena’s room bore only her name as recipient; the sender’s name was absent. Thus, it cannot yet be confirmed whether the package came from northern or northeastern Thailand. Investigations focus on two northeastern networks believed to be active. Their hideouts are mainly in inner Bangkok and its suburbs, but large drug quantities (tons) are stored in outer areas with heavy truck traffic to blend in.
Regarding past cases involving packages disguised as Thai OTOP embroidered bags with elephants, used to smuggle drugs via crew to Australia, seizures mostly involved other types of fabric, often tribal cloth or doormats. In Ms. Meena’s case, the fabric was altered with Thai elephant embroidery, which can indicate either neighboring country craftsmanship or Thai handiwork. No clear evidence yet pinpoints the heroin’s origin in her case as northern or northeastern Thailand. The delivery man in the black hoodie has not come forward to cooperate; only a citizen rider provided information. No summons have been issued yet, as investigations continue to identify the real owner of the Facebook account “Rose Rose.”
When asked if on 1 July the ONCB conducted raids or arrests linked to Ms. Meena’s case, Mr. Kanisorn stated that those operations were separate, targeting drug trafficking groups broadly. The ONCB secretary-general will lead a media briefing on those results.