Early in the morning on June 18, a message from an unknown account slipped into the TikTok inbox of a flight attendant in ‌Bangkok with a series of questions: “Are you flying to Australia? Do you do carry-for-hire? What is your rate?” The 30-year-old, who flies for a regional budget carrier, ignored the message and forgot about it — until Tuesday, when a Thai Airways flight attendant was charged with importing more than one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of heroin into Australia hidden in several tote bags. The rare detention of a national airline cabin staff has triggered ​alarm in Thailand, raising questions about security measures at airports and concern that international trafficking networks are targeting air crew in their attempts to get illicit ​drugs to lucrative markets beyond the Southeast Asian nation. “According to reports, in the first half of this year, there have already been ⁠at least six cases of people travelling from Thailand who were charged with commercial drug trafficking,” Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said at a meeting on Friday of ​the top national anti-drug committee.

Full report : How drug gangs use social media to recruit Thai air crew as couriers.