The Bhutanese Leading the way.
On 6th May media outlets in Thailand reported that Denis Bichuk, a 36-year-old Russian, admitted to smuggling 415.72 grams of hashish to Thailand that he claimed he picked up in Bhutan and ingested in condoms to avoid customs’ check.
Denis was arrested by Police in the island of Koh Phangan for possession of 9.42 grams of cocaine, 13.56 grams of magic mushrooms and 415.72 grams of hashish.
He was arrested near a 7-Eleven store when he was found acting suspiciously by the Thai police.
On seeing the news from Thailand, the Department of Immigration (DoI) using his name as reported in Thailand did a verification check of his alleged visit to Bhutan.
The Department verified the visa system and the entry and exit system. To ensure complete information the DoI also cross-checked the passenger manifest for all flights departing Bhutan, across all sectors from 1-5 May 2025.
There is no record of a Denis Bichuk having been issued a visa as a tourist or a non-tourist since the re-opening of Bhutan’s international border on 23 September 2022.
There is no record of a Denis Bichuk having entered or exited Bhutan since 23 September 2022.
There is no record of a Denis Bichuk on the passenger manifest departing Bhutan towards any sector between 1-5 May 2025.
The DoI also verified the list of all visitors from Russia to Bhutan from 1 January to 05 May 2025, to rule out aliases. The DoI could not find any one matching his description.
This simply means that Denis was likely lying to the Thai police to hide the real source of his drugs and it is confirmed he never visited Bhutan.
