11 French nationals detained in Thailand for drug trafficking

Eleven French nationals are currently detained in Thailand following their arrest in midsummer with substantial quantities of cannabis in their luggage. According to a police source, the arrests took place at airports in Thailand and Hong Kong. The French foreign ministry is closely monitoring the situation and is in contact with the detained individuals' families.

Relatives of some of the young people interviewed by the French daily Liberation claim that the young men may have been tricked by drug traffickers into becoming mules in exchange for free vacations. The alleged offer of the holiday trip came from the manager of a smartphone trading company, and the French nationals were unaware of the true contents of their suitcases, as per the Liberation report.

At least five individuals, aged between 18 and 26, were apprehended at airports in Thailand and Hong Kong. One woman told AFP that her 20-year-old brother-in-law was arrested mid-July while preparing to travel from Thailand to Paris with another Frenchman. The customs officers found 16.8kg of cannabis in the locked suitcase, which the young man did not have the key to.

He was allegedly contacted through Snapchat, where a person claimed the courier run was entirely legal and involved transporting phones. The woman said he took it seriously and was the victim of a "Thailand plan." The French prosecutor's office, responsible for combating drug crime, stated that investigations are underway to identify the organizers and potential networks involved in the operation, as well as to understand how these young individuals were recruited and what other individuals may have been involved.