Authorities Uncover Major Illegal E-Cigarette Operation

[Georgealbert]

 

Picture from raid.

 

In a significant crackdown on illicit e-cigarette distribution, police have raided on 1 March, a prominent warehouse in Bangkok, seizing goods valued at approximately 35 million baht.

 

Acting on intelligence reports, officers obtained a search warrant from the Thonburi Criminal Court and executed the operation at a four-storey commercial building located at 88/442 Kanchanapisek Road, Bangkae district, Bangkok. The raid uncovered a vast array of e-cigarette products, including:

 

• 343,600 bottles of e-liquid

• 10,000 ready-to-use e-cigarettes

 

The goods were stored across two levels of the building:

 

• Ground Floor: 227,200 bottles (valued at 22.72 million baht)

• Upper Floor: 116,400 bottles (valued at 11.64 million baht)

 

A 24-year-old male suspect was apprehended at the scene. He claimed to have been hired for a one-time task involving the transportation of the products, unaware of their specific nature.

 

This operation aligns with intensified efforts by authorities to combat the illegal e-cigarette trade, especially near educational institutions. Recent reports indicate a thriving black market for such products, with estimates suggesting an annual worth of 5 billion baht.  

 

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has mandated a comprehensive 30-day crackdown on e-cigarette sales, urging decisive action against any officials found complicit in these illegal activities.  

 

Possession, sale, or importation of e-cigarettes remains illegal in Thailand, with violators facing fines of up to 30,000 baht and potential imprisonment.  

 

The authorities continue to investigate the origins of the seized goods and are committed to dismantling the networks responsible for their distribution.

 

-- 2025-03-02

 

[ikke1959]

Question, where does these articles come from?? who is involved  and last but not least how can you manage to forbid something that widely used in the country by government officials, RTP, military, and common people and freely available all over the country on markets and streetcorners??  Where are the brains?? Why only e cigarettes and why not the normal cigarettes that are even more dangerous