Customs officials have seized 26,000 kilograms of opium poppy seeds that were smuggled from Turkey into Thailand.

Thai Customs director-general Patchara Anuntasilpa said in a press conference on March 1 that the shipment worth 30 million baht (862,316 USD) had been seized from the Laem Chabang port in Chonburi province.

The containers were declared to be carrying 26 tons of 'white poppy seeds' from Turkey.

Customs officers found the containers were full of seeds but sent them to the Narcotics Analysis and Technical Services Institute as they were 'suspicious of the documents related to its importation.'

The results confirmed their doubts, as the seeds were found to contain codeine and morphine - compounds typically found in opium poppy seeds.

Patchara did not name the suspects but said they would face charges for violating the country's Narcotics Act by importing a category 5 narcotic, and Customs Act for a false declaration of goods.

The Customs department also reported that they have arrested 71 drug smugglers and confiscated 726 million baht (20.9 million USD) from October 1 last year to February 28 this year.