A 26-year-old Thai flight attendant identified as Mina Kondo is facing up to 25 years’ imprisonment after she was arrested by Australian Federal Police (ABF) for smuggling heroin into the Oceanian country.
The AFB said the incident occurred last Thursday when Ms Kondo arrived at Melbourne Airport as part of a Thai Airways cabin crew. However, she aroused the suspicion of authorities after officers detected that something was amiss while screening her luggage.
Upon further examination of the 12 tote bags the former beauty queen was screening, authorities said they discovered powdery white substance within the lining of the bags, which was later confirmed as heroin after testing.
The AFB estimated the quantity of the substance to be more than one kilogramme, with a calculated street value of $500,000.
“The AFP has charged an airline employee for allegedly importing more than 1kg of heroin into Melbourne last week,” the federal police announced in a statement on Monday.
The statement added, “The Thai national, 26, was performing work duties on board an international flight when she arrived at Melbourne Airport on 25 June, 2026, and had her baggage screened by Australian Border Force (ABF) officers.
“ABF officers identified anomalies during an X-ray examination of the woman’s 12 tote bags. Further examinations revealed a white powder concealed within the lining of the bags, with presumptive testing allegedly returning a positive reading for heroin. The heroin had an estimated street value of $500,000.”
Ms Kondo was arrested at the scene and subsequently charged with one count of importing a marketable quantity of a border controlled drug and one count of possessing a marketable quantity of a border controlled drug.
Each offence carries a maximum penalty of 25 years’ imprisonment.
Commenting on the arrest, AFP Acting Commander Simone Butcher, vowed that the force would continue to maintain zero tolerance for criminal activities.
“The AFP remains unwavering in its efforts to target individuals who use their employment or community standing to support drug trafficking. We work closely with our partner agencies to protect the community from the scourge of illicit drugs,” the commander stated.
She was eventually remanded in custody on 26 June, 2026, and expected to reappear before Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on 14 September, 2026.
Meanwhile, authorities in Thailand immediately opened their own investigation into Ms Kondo and stormed her apartment in Bangkok on June 30, where they reportedly retrieved CCTV footage of a man delivering the suspicious items to her home before trip.
The CNA reported that Thai officials said that they have not found any irregularities in the suspect’s transactions but initial probes showed that she might have been running a parcel-carrying business via Facebook and regularly transported the packages herself into and out of Thailand.
Additionally, authorities said they believed Ms Kondo was recruited by one of the clients via Facebook, who is suspected to have claimed they were sending fabric bags to a younger brother in Melbourne.
“Employees are strictly prohibited from possessing, importing, transporting, or being involved in narcotics or any illegal substances or items of any kind,” Thai Airways said in a statement regarding the arrest of its employee.
