Down under dilemma: Australian arrested at Phuket Airport with cocaine stash hidden in passport

Picture courtesy of Phuket Immigration Checkpoint Facebook

A 26 year old Australian national found himself in hot water upon his arrival at Phuket International Airport. The arrest came about after a small quantity of cocaine was discovered hidden within his passport by vigilant immigration officers.

The young man, whose name was conspicuously absent from the first reports released by the Phuket Immigration Checkpoint officers, was apprehended in the international arrivals hall around 9.30pm on Monday. The transgression? A small plastic bag containing precisely 0.17 grammes of cocaine was secretly stowed away in his passport.

The authorities transported the Australian to Sakhu Police Station where he would face the full force of the law. The charges levelled against him included illegal possession of a Category 2 narcotic and bringing a Category 2 narcotic,…