BANGKOK, Thailand - Four Peruvians and a Ghanaian have been arrested in Thailand in connection with the alleged smuggling of 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) of cocaine, the Customs Department announced Thursday.
Jose Castro Reyes Jacinto, 24, drew suspicion when he landed Wednesday in Bangkok on a flight from Amsterdam because he looked nauseous, Sorasak Meenatoree, director of department's Investigation Division told a news conference.
An X-ray of Jacinto's stomach showed more than a hundred plastic tubes filled with a total of 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of cocaine, he said. He was arrested on a charge of drug trafficking and is likely to be sentenced to life in jail if convicted.
Another man and a woman from Peru, along with a man from Ghana, were arrested later Wednesday when they kept a rendezvous to pick up the cocaine from Jacinto, said Sorasak. They also face drug trafficking charges.
Sorasak said Jacinto admitted being paid US$2,000 to deliver the cocaine. He quoted the suspects as saying that the drug was supposed to be sold to pub owners and partygoers in Bangkok.
Cocaine is relatively rare in Thailand, with its consumption limited to a small circle of well-to-do Thais and foreigners. Heroin and methamphetamine, both produced in the region, are much easier to find. In the past year, however, there has been an increase in the quantity of seized cocaine.
