Picture courtesy of Matichon.

 

A Chinese national and 28 accomplices from Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia have been arrested after police raided an illegal e-cigarette production facility in the Khu Khot area of Pathum Thani province, seizing over 21,000 finished products with an estimated street value of over 6 million baht.

 

The operation was led by senior officers from the Metropolitan Police Bureau including Pol Lt Gen Siam Boonsom, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police and his deputies responsible for narcotics and investigations. The joint effort involved officers from Ko Kram Police Station, Investigation Division 2, the Central Investigation Bureau, and Khu Khot Police Station.

 

Police executed a search warrant issued by the Thanyaburi Provincial Court (Warrant No. 358/2568) for a commercial building located on Phahon Yothin Soi 80. The warrant followed intelligence from informants indicating the building was being used as an unlicensed e-cigarette factory.

Upon entry, officers found 29 individuals actively assembling electronic cigarettes. The suspects were arrested at the scene, and police seized:

 

• 21,200 completed e-cigarette devices

• A plastic box sealing machine

• Three bag sealing machines

• Six e-cigarette assembly presses

• Additional packaging and production equipment

 

The lead suspect, identified as Mr Lu Jinke, 52, a Chinese national, was allegedly running the illegal operation. He and his accomplices now face multiple charges under the law, including:

 

• Violating Consumer Protection Board Order No. 24/2567, which bans the manufacture, sale, and distribution of e-cigarettes and related substances

 

• Selling products banned under Consumer Protection Board Order No. 9/2558, specifically disposable e-cigarettes and refill liquids

 

• Working in Thailand without a permit (for the foreign suspects)

 

The 29 suspects were divided into four legal groups based on their involvement and nationality. Charges range from illegal manufacturing and sale of banned products to working unlawfully in Thailand.

The accused and all seized materials have been handed over to the investigating officers at Khu Khot Police Station in Pathum Thani for further legal proceedings.

 

Authorities have reiterated that the manufacture and sale of e-cigarettes remain strictly prohibited in Thailand and warned of ongoing enforcement efforts against such illegal operations.

 

 

  Adapted by Asean Now from Matichon 2025-06-30

 

 

 

Someone forgot to pay the BIB... A business like this does not pop up and go unnoticed by police who literally go to businesses weekly or monthly inspecting for infractions to collect on.