An Indonesian man has been arrested at Bangkok's main airport with crystal methamphetamine worth an estimated $500,000, Thai authorities said on Wednesday.

The 50-year-old was stopped at customs on Tuesday evening at Suvarnabhumi Airport after arriving from India.

Officials found 4.3 kilos (9.5 pounds) of methamphetamine hydrochloride, whose street name is "Ice", in a special compartment of his luggage.

The drugs were destined to be sold in Thailand, said Paisal Chuenjit, director of the Customs Department's Investigation and Suppression Bureau.

"We arrested him based on a tip-off and intelligence," he told AFP.

The suspect confessed to the charges and told officials that he was asked by an Indonesian woman to bring the baggage from Delhi to a hotel in central Bangkok, officials said.

If convicted he could in theory face the death sentence although Thailand has not executed anyone since 2009.

Thailand, along with other countries in the region, has seen a marked increase in seizures of methamphetamine, particularly from Myanmar.