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SCMP-Air officials accused of aidin

Subject: SCMP-Air officials accused of aiding drug lords 

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South China Morning Post=20
Monday, January 10, 2000
THAILAND=20

Air officials accused of aiding drug lords=20
JAMES EAST in Bangkok=20

Corrupt officials at Bangkok's international airport are helping ship =
drugs abroad, a leading security source said.=20
The expert, who advises international airlines on security measures, =
said well-connected drug lords had little problem smuggling narcotics =
overseas.=20

"It is a pretty easy way to smuggle out drugs, especially for people who =
are familiar with the airport. If you want to smuggle out huge =
quantities you put it in cargo," said the source.=20

The drug kingpins often betray their small-time couriers or tourists =
duped into carrying packages. They are sacrificed to Customs officials =
to help them convince foreign governments funding their work that their =
anti-smuggling campaigns are working.=20

Thailand's jails are full of Africans serving life sentences for =
smuggling heroin. Many say they were conned into running drugs or were =
surprised to find that Customs officials knew where to find the =
packages.=20

Police and aviation officials are now targeting the country's domestic =
airports in the latest attempt to shut drug routes originating in the =
Golden Triangle.=20

Millions of amphetamine pills and kilograms of refined opium are churned =
out of jungle factories before being smuggled across the border.=20

Traffickers are now hopping on to domestic flights, flying their =
narcotic loads to other parts of Thailand or into Bangkok and then on to =
Europe and the United States.=20

The Government, which is under increasing pressure to crack down, has =
ordered the Narcotics Control Board and aviation chiefs to smash the =
operation. It has given authorities a week to come up with measures.=20

Seventy sniffer dogs have been sent to northern domestic airports to =
hunt out drugs stashed in cargo and passenger baggage. More X-ray =
machines may be installed and rules governing cargo shipments and air =
post will be tightened.=20

On Friday, police charged Japanese woman Tamaki Nagayama, 29, with =
attempting to smuggle 1,300 "speed" pills on board a Thai Airways flight =
to Osaka. A Thai woman and a Burmese man linked to the offence were =
later arrested.=20

In a separate incident last week, officers accidentally stumbled across =
2.6 million pills at a Bangkok housing estate. The drugs were from the =
north.=20


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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#800000 face=3DArial size=3D4><STRONG>South China =
Morning Post=20
</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><FONT face=3DHelvetica,Arial =
size=3D2>Monday, January=20
10, 2000</FONT><FONT color=3D#003300 face=3DHelvetica,Arial=20
size=3D2><B></B></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><FONT color=3D#003300 =
face=3DHelvetica,Arial=20
size=3D2><B>THAILAND</B></FONT> </DIV>
<P>
<DIV align=3Dleft><!--headline--><FONT color=3D#800000><FONT =
size=3D4><B>Air officials=20
accused of aiding drug lords</B> </FONT></FONT></DIV>
<CENTER><!--ArticleEnd--></CENTER>
<P><!--ArticleStart--><!--byline--><FONT face=3DHelvetica,Arial =
size=3D2><B>JAMES=20
EAST in Bangkok</B></FONT> <!--article-->
<DIV>Corrupt officials at Bangkok's international airport are helping =
ship drugs=20
abroad, a leading security source said. </DIV>
<P>The expert, who advises international airlines on security measures, =
said=20
well-connected drug lords had little problem smuggling narcotics =
overseas.=20
<P>"It is a pretty easy way to smuggle out drugs, especially for people =
who are=20
familiar with the airport. If you want to smuggle out huge quantities =
you put it=20
in cargo," said the source.=20
<P>The drug kingpins often betray their small-time couriers or tourists =
duped=20
into carrying packages. They are sacrificed to Customs officials to help =
them=20
convince foreign governments funding their work that their =
anti-smuggling=20
campaigns are working.=20
<P>Thailand's jails are full of Africans serving life sentences for =
smuggling=20
heroin. Many say they were conned into running drugs or were surprised =
to find=20
that Customs officials knew where to find the packages.=20
<P>Police and aviation officials are now targeting the country's =
domestic=20
airports in the latest attempt to shut drug routes originating in the =
Golden=20
Triangle.=20
<P>Millions of amphetamine pills and kilograms of refined opium are =
churned out=20
of jungle factories before being smuggled across the border.=20
<P>Traffickers are now hopping on to domestic flights, flying their =
narcotic=20
loads to other parts of Thailand or into Bangkok and then on to Europe =
and the=20
United States.=20
<P>The Government, which is under increasing pressure to crack down, has =
ordered=20
the Narcotics Control Board and aviation chiefs to smash the operation. =
It has=20
given authorities a week to come up with measures.=20
<P>Seventy sniffer dogs have been sent to northern domestic airports to =
hunt out=20
drugs stashed in cargo and passenger baggage. More X-ray machines may be =

installed and rules governing cargo shipments and air post will be =
tightened.=20
<P>On Friday, police charged Japanese woman Tamaki Nagayama, 29, with =
attempting=20
to smuggle 1,300 "speed" pills on board a Thai Airways flight to Osaka. =
A Thai=20
woman and a Burmese man linked to the offence were later arrested.=20
<P>In a separate incident last week, officers accidentally stumbled =
across 2.6=20
million pills at a Bangkok housing estate. The drugs were from the =
north. <!--ArticleEnd--></P></FONT></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>

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