Report Illegal Avocado Import Uncovered in Pathum Thani Amid Mislabeling Scheme

[snoop1130]

Picture courtesy of Central Investigation Bureau

 

In a surprising customs breach, approximately 11 tonnes of avocados from Vietnam, mislabelled as mangoes, were illicitly imported into Thailand and discovered at the Talad Thai wholesale market in Pathum Thani province. On May 25, a coordinated raid involving consumer protection police, customs, and agriculture officials unveiled this smuggling operation.

 

Police Lieutenant General Jiraphop Phuridet, commander of the Central Investigation Bureau, reported that authorities seized 421 boxes of avocados, weighing some 11 tonnes and valued at about 1.2 million baht (US$36,890). This intervention was prompted by a tip-off that revealed the avocados were being transported in pickup trucks equipped with cages, cleverly bypassing official checkpoints often reserved for larger vehicles like trailer trucks.

 

The investigation disclosed that the avocados were illegally smuggled from Vietnam, with efforts made to disguise them as mangoes using labels in Chinese. Further, the labels were painted over to obscure product details, indicating a calculated attempt by smugglers to evade customs scrutiny.

 

While the seized avocados are currently held by the Office of Agriculture Regulation, the investigation is ongoing to identify those responsible for the smuggling operation. Authorities have not yet disclosed information regarding the sellers or smugglers involved in the case.

 

This incident underscores challenges within cross-border agricultural trade, highlighting the need for vigilant enforcement of import regulations to safeguard market integrity and consumer trust. As the investigation continues, further measures may emerge to prevent similar illegal import activities in the future.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Thaiger 2025-05-26

 

 

[hotandsticky]

Fraud in Thailand......who would have thought it.

[VR333]

I'm surprised at the size of the haul. I don't see Thai people buying avocados much in Bangkok.

 

I love them but gave up on them in Thailand, as for every half decent one I'd get, I would throw three away, black inside despite often seeming ok by look and feel. Even the imported ones in big supermarkets that can cost a hundred baht each were often bad.

[Emdog]

Just wait til they stop a load of lemons/limes....

[NickyLouie]

2 hours ago, VR333 said:

I'm surprised at the size of the haul. I don't see Thai people buying avocados much in Bangkok.

 

I love them but gave up on them in Thailand, as for every half decent one I'd get, I would throw three away, black inside despite often seeming ok by look and feel. Even the imported ones in big supermarkets that can cost a hundred baht each were often bad.

 

 

Yep that weird shaped variety is pretty awful .....

 

Tried buying a bag of frozen avocados from Makro and those sucked just as bad

[impulse]

I had a co-worker with an avocado tree in Bangkok.  They were great, but he claimed his wife couldn't sell them.  No demand.  That surprised the heck out of me.  The expats at the company took all he could bring us.  He wouldn't even let us pay him for them.

 

Of course, if avocado ranching took off in LOS, there would be a glut and the price would collapse.  That's just the nature of things.

 

On an aside, I found some great guacamole recipes without avocados, online.  Street vendors in the US use the recipe because it's cheap and doesn't turn brown like normal guac.  The "green" ingredient is zucchini.  Pretty good substitute for dipping chips and making burritos.