British Leader of International Cannabis Smuggling Gang Arrested at Samui Pier

Surat Thani –

A British man who was a head of an international cannabis smuggling gang was arrested at a pier on Samui Island on Monday (March 17^th) with 165 Kg of Cannabis Flower Seized.

Our previous stories:

This follows another recent case on March 12th, 2025, where four other British nationals were caught at the same airport with 144 kilograms of cannabis stuffed into seven large suitcases, also destined for London Heathrow via a connecting flight.

On March 15th, 2025, four British men were arrested at Koh Samui Airport in Surat Thani, Thailand, for attempting to illegally smuggle 131 kilograms of cannabis out of the country.

Now for the update:

The Surat Thai Immigration told the Phuket Express that the investigation of previous cases continued. On March 17^th, a foreign national had brought suitcases from a hotel in the Maenam area. The suspect, identified only as Mr. DARRYL, 30, British national, was reportedly staying at the hotel with many large suitcases stored in the room. The hotel reported the man and his associates’ suspicious behavior to authorities.

Immigration officers tracked the individual to a nearby ferry pier. Police revealed their identity and requested to inspect the suitcases loaded in a van. They found 10 large suitcases. Each suitcase contained dried cannabis flowers. The van driver admitted to being hired by a foreign man to transport the suitcases from Samui to Bangkok.

During the luggage loading process at the hotel, Mr. DARRYL was observed managing the bags and helping to load them onto the van. He even traveled with the van to the ferry pier, supervising the operation.

Authorities discovered that the plan to export the cannabis flowers via Samui Airport had failed due to tightened airport security. Consequently, the smugglers altered their plan, redirecting the shipment back to Bangkok for further attempts.

Relevant authorities then arrested Daryl, identified as the leader of a gang smuggling cannabis flowers abroad, at the pier on Samui Island. The operation follows stricter controls at Samui Airport.

Cannabis is decriminalized in Thailand but exporting it without a license is illegal, and as cannabis use remains mostly illegal in the UK there has been an increase in attempted smuggling of marijuana there.