New: Thailand-Mauritius Cannabis Route Under Scrutiny After Two Cases

Two separate drug cases in recent weeks have put the Thailand-Mauritius cannabis route under the spotlight, with Mauritius’ Anti-Drug and Smuggling Unit (ADSU) still hunting for about 1.5 tonnes of cannabis and hashish believed to have been shipped from Thailand on a yacht, Le Mauricien reported on Wednesday (Nov 11).

Scene of Crime Office (SOCO) and ADSU officers examined the Thai-flagged yacht Dreamer at port on Tuesday (Nov 10) in the presence of its Thai captain, Suriya Samanboot, the newspaper said. Police have also begun examining his mobile phone. Eighteen people have been arrested in the case so far, including nine Thai nationals.

In a separate case, three Malaysians, a Penang couple aged 22 and 18 and a 30-year-old Malaysian working in Singapore, were detained at Mauritius’ Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport on Nov 2 with 76.14kg of suspected cannabis. Malaysian police said they had collected the bags in Bangkok and flown via Dubai. No report has linked the two cases.

Yacht cargo still missing

According to Le Mauricien, the Dreamer was intercepted off Round Island on the night of Oct 19. Local reports differ on where it was stopped, and Defimedia reported on Sunday (Nov 8) that most of the suspected cargo had still not been found.

News Moris, citing l’Express, said the cargo was valued at Rs 2.7 billion and believed to be made up of two consignments.

Defimedia reported that investigators suspect the drugs were transferred at sea in the early hours of Oct 20. A speed boat has been seized, and three men suspected of meeting the yacht have told police they were fishing. Two National Coast Guard police officers are suspected of leaking patrol information to the yacht’s captain, the paper said.

Suspected sender based in Thailand

Defimedia said a man identified as Nishal, a Mauritian who also holds British nationality and lives in Thailand, is suspected of being the sender and sponsor of the shipment. Posts on social media show him running a nightclub in Phuket, though the paper noted this does not prove a link to trafficking. An arrest-on-arrival order has been issued against him, and News Moris said he remains abroad.

Two Thai nationals arrested after arriving by plane are suspected of coming to supervise the delivery, according to Defimedia.

News Moris reported that Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam had pointed to the possible involvement of drug traffickers in the unrest that hit the island from Oct 13 to 19. Investigators are checking whether networks used the unrest and the police deployment to receive or move drugs.

Malaysians and Thailand-Mauritius cannabis route

Bukit Aman Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department director Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said the Malaysian couple were first approached on RedNote and then contacted on Telegram, where a syndicate leader offered them RM1,000 for each of four suitcases they carried.

Their flights and five days at a Grand Baie hotel were paid for, and the syndicate tracked them with the Life360 app and Apple tracking devices hidden in the suitcases. After they were arrested by the ADSU and Mauritius Customs, the Telegram group was deleted.

None of the three Malaysians had prior criminal records. Malaysian police said they are working with Mauritian authorities to uncover the international network behind the online recruitment.

Photo: L’express Newspaper

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Thailand-Mauritius Cannabis Route Under Scrutiny After Two Cases