Italian man faces court in Australia for smuggling heroin from Chiang Mai

An Italian man is facing court in Perth, Western Australia after being caught attempting to smuggle heroin likely purchased in Chiang Mai into the country Sept. 6.

The unnamed man is said to have traveled from Chiang Mai to Perth via Kuala Lumpur. A baggage examination by Australian Border Force officials at Perth International Airport tested positive for narcotics. A subsequent x-ray found 63 pellets of heroin in the man’s stomach and three that had be “internally inserted.”

The heroin weighed a total of 300.4 grams with an estimated street value in Australia of AU$135,000 – 2.792 billion baht.

The maximum penalty for drug smuggling in Australia is 25 years imprisonment.

Photo: Australian Border Force/Community News