Packets of crystal meth were found hidden in sofas being sent from Thailand to Malaysia.

Police uncovered the drugs, disguised as Chinese tea bags, stuffed inside 19 sofas at the Khlong Toey port on Wednesday November 10. The furniture was kept in 10 crates being shipped to Malaysia.

A total of 210 packages, each containing a kilogram of meth, were recovered by staff from the Seaport Interdiction Task Force.

Police arrested Thai woman Supawadee Iamurai, 26, who claimed she was paid to smuggle the goods.

Secretary-General of the Narcotics Control Board Wichai Chaimongkol said: ‘Before the arrest, we found information about the sofas being delivered by a private transportation firm to Malaysia via boat.

‘The suspect said that she was hired. We believe that this operation is related to neighboring countries’ drug traffickers.

‘The suspect will be taken to the investigation officers to find more information and prosecute other parties involved in the activity.’

Thai authorities have confiscated drugs in 68 smuggling-related arrests since the beginning of the year.

Wichai said the contraband included 204.14 kilos of crystal meth, 21.6 kilos of heroin, 10.02 kilos of marijuana, 515 kilos of ketamine, 730 grams of cocaine, 990 tablets of ecstasy, and 6,040 amphetamine tablets. The contraband goods were being exported to 13 different countries.

Thailand has become a notorious hub for drug production and smuggling in recent years. In the north of the country, it’s ‘Golden Triangle’ area shares borders with Laos and Myanmar.

In November 2020, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) began working with Thai officials ‘to disrupt the trafficking of precursor chemicals used for the illicit manufacture of synthetic drugs in the Golden Triangle’.

Suriya Singhakamol, Deputy Secretary-General of the Office of Narcotics Control Board (ONCB), said: ‘We are pleased to have authorities with precursor chemical responsibilities in northern Thailand here with us and our long-standing partner UNODC.

‘Precursor chemical diversion and trafficking is a top priority for Thailand and the Mekong region, and it is important to be here on the border where the challenges are greatest – the location is symbolically important, and the training being delivered is practically necessary.’