BANGKOK, Aug 26 – Five Iranian men were arrested at Suvarnabhumi Airport in three separate crystal methamphetamine smuggling cases involving a total weight of 12.3 kilogrammes of the drug, valued at Bt43 million (US$1.3 million), according to Thailand’s Customs Department.

Customs Department Director-General Somchai Sajjapong told the media Thursday that Mohajeri Mohammadreza, 25, was detained when he failed to pass through a customs checkpoint with 510 grammes of ‘ice’ concealed in his sandals.

The arrest was made after the customs officers noticed that the man behaved suspiciously and his sandals were thicker than usual.

In the meantime, an officer rushed to detain Salimi Zanjani Davoodi, 37, who accompanied Mohammadreza to Thailand, intercepting him at an airport exit.

After searching Mr Davoodi’s sandals, similar to those of Mr Mohammadreza’s, the officers found crystal methamphetamine weighing 510 grammes.

The two Iranians flew from the United Arab Emirates’s capital of Abu Dhabi to Thailand by Etihad Airways.

MCOT