Thai and Vietnamese nationals were arrested over cocaine intercepted at an airport in Thailand.

The alleged drug smugglers were listed as the recipients of a suspicious parcel that arrived at the Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok.

Authorities seized the package, declared as a ‘Circuit Wel Fixture Tooling Plate', and flagged it as a high-risk item on August 21. When they opened it, they found a heavy metal object weighing 48 pounds (22 kilos).

Footage shows officers sawing open and peeling back the metal plate, revealing a bag containing a pungent, flaky substance which was later found to be cocaine. The haul weighed three kilograms and had a street value of around 10 million Baht (229,000 GBP).

Police converged on the intended recipient's address in Bangkok and arrested a Thai man on Tuesday. Further investigations led them to his Vietnamese associate on the same day.

Panthong Loykulnanta, spokesman of the Customs Department, said in a press conference on August 27: 'Both suspects have a history of smuggling packages containing drugs abroad. The Vietnamese man, in particular, was identified as an alien who had entered and resided in the Kingdom without permission.

'Preliminary investigations revealed that the two suspects are linked to a Vietnamese drug trafficking network in Thailand.

'The operation unit apprehended and handed them over to the inquiry officer for further legal action.'

The pair were charged with importing Category 2 narcotics into the country and possessing them for trade, contributing to their spread among the general public.

The Vietnamese suspect faces an additional charge for entering and living in Thailand illegally.

Cocaine is classified as a 'category 2' narcotic under Thai law. Importers, producers, and exporters face jail sentences depending on the amount, with the most severe being life behind bars.

Despite the severe penalties in law, many tourists are able to 'negotiate' with Thai authorities who are not keen on footing the bill for their prison stays.