Thai drug mules target two types of people, according to an expert

EXCLUSIVE: This year has seen a handful of Brits being banged up abroad for attempting to smuggle drugs over the boarder from countries like Thailand – and an expert reveals who would be targeted

An increase of Brits attempting to smuggle drugs out of Thailand has seen many youths stuck behind bars in brutal overseas prisons. Most recently, George Wilson was collared at Suvarnabhumi Airport earlier this month after they found around 9.1kg of crystal meth in his suitcase, according to officials.

The former public schoolboy, who is said to come from a rich family, has now been charged with attempting to take the illegal substance out of Bangkok’s international airport. Bella May Culley, 18, of Teesside, was also arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle £200,000 worth of weed at a Georgian airport in May.

Blackburn pals Sophie Bannister and nurse Levi-April Whalley, both 30, attempted to bring £162,000 worth of cannabis into the UK from New York. The people behind the operation offered the women between £5,000 and £10,000 per job – as well as luxurious holidays.

Experts have warned of an increase of drug gangs – especially in Thailand – targeting Brits on holiday to smuggle their goods over the border. But what they look for in a potential victim has changed.

Dr Fleetwood, a senior lecturer in criminology at the University of Greenwich, has written two books – What We Talk About When We Talk About Crime, and Drug Mules: Women in the International Cocaine Trade. In them, she noted drug smuggling runs all year round but is particularly busy in summer in holiday hotspots like Ibiza, as well as Christmas when some are looking for illegal drugs for the festive season.

While in the past, glamorous influencers were chosen due to their frequent jet-setting, experts now believe smuggling gangs could be looking for two groups in particular – the elderly and the obese.

Fleetwood said pensioners after fly under the radar as security guards at airport wouldn’t expect them to smuggle – but the pay is enticing. Likewise, she spoke to someone who claimed being morbidly obese helped him to get through security.

Jennifer told the Sun: “He said airport security generally wouldn’t search him or look at him too closely because we as a society have trained ourselves not to stare at bigger people”.

Speaking exclusively to the Daily Star, criminologist Alex Iszatt said: “Thailand is a place people go to find themselves, to fill a gap in their life, making them an easy target. Recruiters are looking for someone naive, confused and who is already fragile – they are lonely or an outcast craving validation, or even are overtly in need of excitement and escapism or simply on a tight budget.

“A scout will be the friendly face in a hostel bar, the charming local in a club, or the fellow traveller who suddenly seems to have all the connections. They then build a relationship over days or weeks.

“They become the person’s main social contact and, for people-pleasers, that creates a powerful sense of obligation. Helping a friend feels like the right thing to do – it does not yet feel like working for a cartel”.

As for the pensioners, she added: “An older person traveling alone after retirement or a loss can be incredibly lonely and eager for the kind of meaningful connection a clever recruiter offers, making them just as susceptible”.

Younger people might be targeted on social media as smart gangs search for influencers online, but they’re not the only targets.

Iszatt added: “An older passenger, someone who is disabled or visibly overweight, can be ignored at the airport or given so much practical help that nobody thinks to search their luggage properly.

“Staff open doors for them, wheelchairs and porters move heavy cases, gates are prioritised and people assume the frail need assistance, not inspection. That instinctive kindness becomes a loophole; these passengers don’t look like a risk”.

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