Customs officers arrested a Russian man at Phuket International Airport yesterday, July 8, after allegedly finding more than 17 kilogrammes of cannabis flowers and cannabis resin in his luggage as he prepared to leave Thailand.
A customs officer at Phuket International Airport inspected two blue wheeled suitcases belonging to 30 year old Russian national Sergey Sharabari after suspicious items were detected in the international departures terminal.
Sharabari was travelling from Phuket International Airport to Almaty International Airport in Kazakhstan.
A search allegedly found 35 vacuum-sealed packages containing cannabis flowers, with a combined weight of 11.4 kilogrammes, including the packaging. Officers also found 12 packages of cannabis resin weighing 6.2 kilogrammes including the packaging.
The seized cannabis products had a combined weight of more than 17.6 kilogrammes, including the packaging, and were valued at more than 9.5 million baht. Customs officers seized the two suitcases and their contents as evidence.
During initial questioning, Sharabari reportedly admitted that the luggage and all the seized items belonged to him.
Officers accused Sharabari of attempting to export goods from Thailand without completing the required customs procedures and attempting to export a Category 5 narcotic, identified in the report as cannabis extract, without permission.
The alleged offences fall under Sections 242 and 244, in conjunction with Sections 166, 167 and 252, of the Customs Act B.E. 2560 (2017). The case also involves Section 78 in conjunction with Section 46 of the Protection and Promotion of Traditional Thai Medicine Wisdom Act B.E. 2542 (1999), and the Ministry of Public Health announcement on controlled herbs (cannabis) B.E. 2568 (2025).
Sharabari and the seized items were transferred to Sakhu Police Station for further legal proceedings.
Just a day earlier, a Belgian woman was also arrested at Phuket International Airport after officials found more than 31 kilogrammes of cannabis in her luggage during a departure inspection.
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