BANGKOK, Aug 17 – An Iranian man was arrested on Tuesday at Suvarnabhumi Airport for smuggling crystal methamphetamine, commonly known as 'ice,' worth Bt8 million (about US$242,000), customs officers reported.

Masoud Sadeghian Ghavamabadi, a 32-year-old Iranian national, was detained at the arrival terminal of Thailand's main international airport after customs officers found the illicit drug hidden in a specially-designed compartment of his baggage.

The ‘ice’ weighed 2070 grammes with an approximate street value of $242,000.

The suspect initially denied all charges, saying that another person asked him to carry the object.

According to a travel record, Mr Ghavamabadi flew from the Iranian capital of Tehran by Qatar Airways. Previously he had travelled to the kingdom four times.

Initially, the officers charged the suspected drug trafficker with smuggling the drug into the kingdom and confiscated the ice.

The accused was transferred to the Narcotics Suppression Bureau for further investigation. (MCOT online news)