Thai customs seized 110,000 illegal e-cigarettes worth $820,000
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Thai customs seized 110,000 illegal e-cigarettes worth $820,000
The Thai Customs Department seized 110,000 illegal disposable e-cigarettes at the Bangkok Port, with a total value of $820,000. Recently, the Customs also seized nearly 50,000 illegal e-cigarettes at the Laem Chabang Port. Pictures provided by the Special Investigation Bureau showed that the packaging was suspected to involve brand products such as Esko Bar, Spaceman, and Salthub.
According to Asean Now, the Thai Customs Department recently announced that it had seized a batch of illegal goods including e-cigarettes, nitrous oxide ("laughing gas") and automatic coin exchange machines, with a total estimated value of more than 30 million baht (US$880,000).
The Bangkok Port Customs Office in Thailand found undeclared goods hidden in two containers from foreign countries during inspections on December 17 and 19, including:
Disposable e-cigarettes: 112,600 pieces, worth 28.15 million baht (US$820,000). According to a 2014 Ministry of Commerce directive, the import of hookahs and e-cigarettes is prohibited;
Nitrous oxide ("laughing gas"): 770 cans, each weighing 5 kg, valued at 1.925 million baht (US$56,000). Under the 1967 Drug Act, the import of nitrous oxide requires a license from the Food and Drug Administration;
Automatic coin exchange machines: 18 units, valued at 360,000 baht (US$10,000).
The import of these goods violates Sections 202, 243, 244 and 252 of the Customs Act 2017, the Drug Act 1967 and the Import and Export Act 1979. Violators face prosecution for providing false or incomplete information to evade taxes and restrictions.
The Customs Department announced that the department recorded 103 cases of e-cigarette smuggling between October 1 and December 23, 2023, involving 416,560 items valued at 39.07 million baht (US$1.14 million).
Recently, the Thai Bureau of Special Investigation (DSI) and Customs also seized nearly 50,000 illegal e-cigarettes at Laem Chabang Port, with a value of over $300,000. The pictures provided by the DSI show that the packaging is suspected to involve products from brands such as Esko Bar, Spaceman, and Salthub. (Related reading: Thai Customs seized nearly 50,000 illegal e-cigarettes, "Esko Bar", "Spaceman" and other brands involved in the case)
