Traveller's suitcase shock: Hidden tablets spark warning

Julia Golovniova from East Sussex experienced a shock when after returning from Thailand to the United Kingdom, she found five white tablets hidden in a plastic glove inside her suitcase. She is now warning other travellers about similar surprises.

The traveller encountered something unsettling while unpacking her luggage at home.

- I found white tablets in a transparent plastic glove, all located in one finger of the glove — she said in an interview with Newsweek UK. - They were deep in my suitcase, buried in dirty clothes.

The tablets had no markings, and Julia had no idea how they got there. The discovery caused her significant anxiety, especially since Thailand's laws harshly punish drug possession.

- I was in shock when I found it while unpacking at home. It was really terrifying that someone could have accidentally or deliberately put this in my suitcase, and I travelled unaware that there was something in there that I hadn't packed - she admitted.

Although the woman realizes that what she transported may not be dangerous, she would like answers to the questions that have been troubling her for several days.

Julia suspects that the tablets could have made their way into her luggage during an incident at Koh Samui airport.

- I inadvertently left a power bank in my suitcase, so upon arrival in Bangkok, two men with a sign with my name asked me to go with them to the office - the woman recounts. - They said there was a power bank in my suitcase, and they needed to search it with my consent. The luggage did not make it onto the plane and was held back until I agreed to the search.

The woman had to sign a form allowing local authorities to search the suitcase and was required to pay 500 Thai baht (about CAD 20) for the luggage to be delivered to her hotel in Bangkok the next day.

Sheldon Jacobson, a professor of computer science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an expert in aviation security, believes it may have been an innocent mistake.

- The person searching the luggage may have been using gloves that had previously come into contact with other items, and the tablets could have accidentally ended up in Julia's suitcase - he said in an interview with Newsweek UK.

Julia urges travellers to be cautious.

- Be more aware of what's in your suitcase, especially if you're travelling to multiple destinations. Thoroughly check your luggage contents before boarding your next flight and never agree to a search of your baggage without being present - she advises. -

She also emphasizes that once we hand over our luggage, we no longer have control over what might end up in it, even if it's locked, so it's definitely worth considering wrapping your luggage in plastic or travelling exclusively with carry-on baggage.