Police arrested "Aekwit" who hid heroin in elephant-patterned cloth bags, using the name "Rin Rin" to hand them to a man in a blue hoodie before passing them to "Air Meena" for cross-border transport.
On 10 July 2026, reports stated that officers from the Narcotics Suppression Bureau (NSB), the Metropolitan Police Bureau, in coordination with Phayao Provincial Police and Region 5 Police, tracked and arrested "Aekwit," who used the chat name "Rin Rin." He was part of a network smuggling heroin hidden in elephant-patterned cloth bags, which he passed to a man named "Uthai" wearing a blue hoodie, who then delivered them to a condominium for flight attendant “Meena.”
On 26 June 2026, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) arrested "Air Meena," a 26-year-old Thai flight attendant, after heroin was found concealed inside an elephant-patterned cloth bag. She was prosecuted under Australian law, and the case drew widespread media and public attention.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul promptly ordered state agencies to intensify actions and expand investigations into the transnational drug trafficking networks, including all participants involved in smuggling drugs into the kingdom and transporting them through Thailand as a transit point to third countries.
Police Chief General Kitti Panpetch instructed Deputy Commissioner General Samran Nualma and Assistant Commissioner General Krisada Kanchanalongkorn to form investigative teams to expand the case, targeting key figures to thoroughly dismantle the related networks with precision and care.
On 4 July 2026, Deputy Commissioner General Samran Nualma led officers to investigate accomplices in the case, focusing on "Uthai" (the man in the blue hoodie) caught on CCTV delivering packages concealing drugs to "Air Meena," along with Mr. Nantawat, who discarded heroin and elephant-patterned cloth bags at various locations. They were arrested at a dormitory in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province.
During interrogation, Mr. Uthai admitted to being the man in the blue hoodie who delivered the heroin to Air Meena, claiming he had done this three times before and was paid 60,000 baht per trip. He also acknowledged that he collected the heroin bags from Chiang Kham District, Phayao Province, arranged by a network member using the chat name "Rin Rin."
Investigations and criminal patterns suggest that the chat user "Rin Rin" is a key orchestrator coordinating via applications to smuggle and conceal drugs from neighboring countries, passing them on through multiple layers with a final destination abroad.
On 9 July 2026, officers arrested Mr. Aekwit, 41, Thai national from Chiang Kham, Phayao Province, the key suspect known by the alias "Rin Rin," charged with participation in a transnational criminal organization and possession of Category 1 narcotics (heroin) for illegal sale. The arrest took place in Chiang Kham District, Phayao Province.
It was found that Mr. Aekwit used the chat name "Rin Rin" to communicate with Mr. Uthai, arranging for him to pick up heroin-concealing bags and hiring Air Meena to carry elephant-patterned cloth bags. Connections were also discovered with an alias "Rose Rose," who instructed acquiring the elephant-patterned cloth bags. Aekwit personally purchased these bags and arranged meetings with Rose Rose to place the bags at designated locations.
Then, Rose Rose would send someone to collect the bags to conceal heroin inside. These bags would be handed to Mr. Uthai for delivery. Aekwit said he was paid 100,000 baht and was responsible for purchasing the elephant-patterned bags, claiming to have done this two or three times before.
Police Lieutenant General Achayon Kraithong, NSB Commander, and Police Major General Theeradej Thammasuthi, Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, visited Phayao Police Command Center to monitor progress and personally interview suspects. They held integrated meetings to map the transnational drug trafficking network and prepare for asset seizure.
Police have taken Mr. Aekwit into custody and handed him over to the Narcotics Suppression Bureau for legal proceedings.
Deputy Commissioner Theeradej Thammasuthi, also police spokesperson, warned the public, especially airline crew and those hired to carry items across borders, to be vigilant when accepting luggage or packages from strangers or online contacts. He reminded them that such individuals might be part of transnational drug trafficking networks exploiting trust or payment to manipulate people into becoming unwitting tools, risking severe criminal penalties abroad.
Beyond selecting specialized narcotics investigators and tech-savvy detectives, officials thanked private-sector partners, particularly Meta Thailand, for full cooperation and support in combating drug trafficking operations effectively, aiming to build a drug-free society together.