Thai police smashed a large e-cigarette smuggling case and seized 24,000 illegal products

Thai police smashed a large e-cigarette smuggling case and seized 24,000 illegal products

Thai police seized 5 million baht (US$140,000) worth of e-cigarette products in a raid in Bangkok. More than 24,000 e-cigarettes and related equipment were seized. Police said this was the largest e-cigarette smuggling case in Thailand this year.

 

According to The Thaiger on August 7, Thai police smashed a large-scale online e-cigarette smuggling case in Din Daeng District, Bangkok, and seized more than 24,000 e-cigarettes and related equipment. The total value of the seized items is estimated to be 5 million baht (US$140,000).

 

Police said this was the largest smuggling case of its kind this year.

 

The raid was carried out at 1 pm on August 6 and was led by Nirandon Lueamsri, Deputy Director of the Thai Police Department, and Thanakrit Jittareerat, Assistant Minister of Public Health. They announced the arrest of some people involved in the illegal sale of e-cigarettes through online platforms.

 

Nilanton revealed that the police received a report that an online store called 33VAPE was selling e-cigarettes through the LINE app. After a month of investigation, the police determined that a two-storey townhouse in Din Daeng District was a storage and distribution center for these illegal products.

The store caters to online customers and supplies smaller retailers in Bangkok.

 

On August 5, the police observed a 23-year-old man, Phakawat, delivering a large rainbow-colored bag to a motorcycle taxi parked outside the townhouse. The police intervened and found a large number of e-cigarette products in the package.

 

The man admitted that there were more items in the house and led the police into the house. His sister Phakjira was found inside, and she was supervising the transaction.

 

The police seized a large number of items during the search: 11,261 e-cigarette cartridges, 5,611 bottles of e-cigarette oil, 2,750 disposable e-cigarettes, 454 e-cigarette devices, 4,431 coils and 37 chargers. The total value of the seized items is estimated at 5 million baht (140,000 U.S. dollars).

 

The suspects were taken to Huai Khwang Police Station for further investigation under Section 246 of the Customs Act 2017. Police said the operation was the largest seizure of e-cigarettes this year, noting that the e-cigarettes were illegally sold in Thailand after being legally imported from neighboring countries.

 

Police are currently tracking down the mastermind of the operation. During the interrogation, the suspects said they were employed by a man named Arm to package and distribute the e-cigarette products for a monthly salary of 15,000 baht (421.24 U.S. dollars).

 

According to KhaoSod, the townhouse has been operating for about two years and has become a major distribution center in Bangkok.