SURAT THANI: Police in this southern province have found many “visitors” who tried to smuggle suitcases containing cannabis out of the country as over the past four days they have arrested 13 foreign “tourists” with cannabis that would have a total market price of 75 million baht overseas.

Pol Col Naruwat Phutthawiro, immigration police commander of Surat Thani, said on Sunday that authorities arrested four British men at Samui airport on Saturday with 131 kilogrammes of dried cannabis buds in total before they took a flight to Singapore.

The suspects were identified as Antony, 63, Billy, 37, Philld, 63, and John, 34. Each carried two suitcases and all the bags contained cannabis weighing 131kg altogether, the commander said.

Samui airport staff spotted cannabis buds in the eight bags when they were X-rayed. The foreigners escaped from the airport but police eventually arrested all of them. They were charged with smuggling cannabis and violating the cannabis control law.

According to immigration police in Surat Thani, Britons were hired overseas to visit Thailand as tourists. Masterminds paid for their flights and hotel accommodation in Thailand. Actually they were assigned to carry bags containing cannabis out of the country.

They took domestic flights from Bangkok to Koh Samui in Surat Thani and were hired to carry cannabis from Koh Samui to Singapore first and other countries afterwards. If their smuggling was successful, they would receive 2,000 pounds (about 87,000 baht) in return. Some smugglers would have their debts repaid.

Over the past four days, police seized 375kg of cannabis from 22 bags of 13 such “tourists” at Samui airport. If the cannabis was smuggled out successfully, its overseas market price would be 200,000 baht per kilogramme. The seized cannabis could have retailed for about 75 million baht in total.

Eight of nine foreigners who were earlier arrested for smuggling cannabis at Samui airport were destined for Singapore and the other wanted to leave for Hong Kong. Their planned final destinations were Britain, Germany and Singapore. The Koh Samui Provincial Court sentenced them to four months in jail.

On Sunday Pol Maj Gen Sermpan Sirikong said the cannabis-smuggling ring by bogus tourists might include a suitcase that a Surat Thani couple mistakenly took from the southern province while joining a tour group to Japan recently.

The bag was opened in Japan and officials found 24kg of dried cannabis inside.

The suitcase actually belonged to a 51-year-old British man identified as Mark Barlow.

Mr Barlow arrived in Thailand at Suvarnabhumi airport on March 6. Without visiting any tourist attractions in Thailand, he left Surat Thani airport last Thursday and departed from the country on the following day for South Korea, Pol Maj Gen Sermpan said.

Officials weigh cannabis seized from the four suspects on Saturday. (Photo: Surat Thani immigration police)