Thai Police Bust Largest E-cigarette Smuggling Operation in Bangkok

According to a report by The Thaiger on August 7th, Thai police have dismantled a large-scale smuggling case of e-cigarettes in the Ding Daeng district of Bangkok. They seized over 24,000 e-cigarettes and related devices, with an estimated total value of 5 million Thai Baht (approximately 140,000 US dollars).

The police stated that this is the largest smuggling case of its kind this year.

The raid took place at 1pm on August 6th, led by Nirandon Lueamsri, Deputy Chief of the Thai Police Department, and Thanakrit Jittareerat, Assistant Minister of Public Health. They announced the arrest of individuals involved in illegally selling e-cigarettes through online platforms.

Nilandon revealed that police received a tip-off, alleging that an online store called 33VAPE was selling e-cigarettes through the LINE app. After a month-long investigation, authorities identified a two-story townhouse in Din Daeng as the storage and distribution center for these illegal products.

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

On August 5th, police observed a 23-year-old man named Phakawat handing a large rainbow-colored bag to a motorcycle taxi parked outside a row of townhouses. Police intervened and discovered that the package contained a large quantity of e-cigarette products.

The man admitted that there were more items inside the house and led the police inside. Inside, they found his sister Phakjira, who was overseeing the transaction.

During the search, police found a large quantity of items: 11,261 e-cigarette pods, 5,611 bottles of e-cigarette e-liquid, 2,750 disposable e-cigarettes, 454 e-cigarette devices, 4,431 coils, and 37 chargers. The total value of the seized items is estimated to be 5 million Thai baht (approximately $140,000).

According to Article 246 of the Customs Act 2017, a suspect has been brought to the Huai Khwang police station for further investigation. Police authorities stated that this operation is the largest-scale e-cigarette seizure of the year and pointed out that these e-cigarettes were illegally sold in Thailand after being legally imported from neighboring countries.

The police are currently tracking the mastermind behind the operation. During questioning, the suspect claimed they were hired by a man named Arm to package and distribute the e-cigarette products, earning a monthly salary of 15,000 Thai baht ($421.24).

According to a report by KhaoSod, the townhouse complex has been operational for approximately two years, becoming a major distribution hub in Bangkok.