An American tourist was arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle heroin through an airport in Thailand.

Tyler Trong Luong, 60, was caught at the Phuket International Airport with 14.5 pounds (6.6 kilos) of the contraband in his luggage on Wednesday.

Staff flagged him after X-ray scans revealed 'abnormalities' in his baggage. Officers said they found 10 packs of heroin hidden in Coffee Mate coffee creamer boxes which were wrapped in brown tape.

Police said Tyler was intercepted following a tip-off from foreign law enforcement agencies about a drug trafficking attempt at the airport. He arrived from Tokyo at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok on July 8 before travelling to Phuket.

Police had been tracking his movements since July 14 and swooped in when the drugs were found in his belongings at the airport.

Colonel Narapon Wattanakorntawee, a superintendent of the Tourist Police Division 3, said: 'The suspect admitted that he was contacted by his French friend to help transport the drugs to France.

'He was set to fly from Phuket to Doha International Airport in Qatar, where he would catch a connecting flight to Brussels, Belgium, before continuing on to France.'

Authorities said they were expanding the investigation to find other possible drug mules in the network.

Heroin is classified as a category 1 substance in Thailand.

Under Thai law, using category 1 substances may be punished with up to three years in jail and a fine of up to 60,000 baht, while possession carries a fine of up to 200,000 baht and up to 10 years imprisonment.

Those convicted of dealing may face life imprisonment and a five million baht fine, depending on the amount involved. Producers, importers, and exporters of Category 1 substances face the same charges and may face the death penalty if it is proven their intent was to sell or distribute on a large scale.