Aussie couple in Bangkok bag-tamper marijuana scam scare
Date August 26, 2013 - 11:11AM
A Melbourne couple say they were fortunate not to have fallen victim to tough Thai drug laws after marijuana was planted in their luggage.
About to check in for a flight from Phuket to Bangkok, the couple noticed their bags were overweight, but it wasn't until they realised that one of the bags was missing a lock that they thought something was strange.
We spent two days in Bangkok washing all our clothes and changing our suitcases just to make sure we didn't have any more marijuana on us.
"Georgia" told radio station 3AW on Monday that not only was the lock missing but part of her boyfriend's suitcase had been cut through.
They took their bags to a nearby hotel and, after a search, found marijuana in a small pocket of a bag inside Georgia's suitcase.
She said staff at the Australian embassy advised her to throw the bags away and for her and her boyfriend to change their travel plans.
"We spent two days in Bangkok washing all our clothes and changing our suitcases just to make sure we didn't have any more marijuana on us," Georgia said.
She suspects that she and her boyfriend were victims of a scam that should have involved fake police or customs officers.
"I do think it's about money more than anything else," Georgia said.
"We're just very lucky we didn't board that flight because who knows what could have happened to us if we did?"
Adrian Lowe
