Thai customs officials have seized more than 15,000 imported food items worth around 3.5 million baht during a raid on a long-established wholesale importer in Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat), uncovering products allegedly smuggled into Thailand, lacking Thai Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval, and including expired goods.

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Prasit Deejongcharoen, Director of Chong Chom Customs Checkpoint, said the operation followed government instructions to strengthen action against illegal products, particularly food and beverages that could pose risks to public health and increase healthcare costs. The policy was issued by Customs Department Director-General Phanthong Loykulnan, Deputy Director-General Suntreeya Tawichaprasit, and Customs Region 2 Director Lalita Attapimon.

Chong Chom Customs, which oversees Nakhon Ratchasima, Surin and Buri Ram provinces, intensified surveillance of suspected smuggled goods and gathered sufficient evidence to obtain a search warrant from the Nakhon Ratchasima Provincial Court.

The raid, codenamed “End of Luxury Food”, targeted a major imported food warehouse and supermarket that has reportedly operated for more than 10 years. Officials said the business catered mainly to affluent and foreign customers and operated wholesale, retail, online sales and a ready-to-eat food service.

Authorities said staff were packing orders for customers across Thailand when officers entered the premises. Among the goods seized were canned food, sauces, seasonings, snacks and alcoholic beverages.

Customs officers alleged that some products had been illegally imported without customs clearance, lacked mandatory Thai FDA certification, and included expired items. In total, more than 15,000 products with an estimated value of 3.5 million baht were seized.

According to Prasit, the business owner cooperated with investigators and claimed the products had been purchased from another supplier. The owner said they had been unaware that the goods were required to carry approval marks and other regulatory certification from relevant government agencies.

Prasit said officials remained concerned about the possible impact of the products already distributed to consumers, although he did not estimate how widely they had been sold.

The Daily News reported that he added that customs authorities would continue intensifying enforcement against illegal consumer goods that fail to meet official safety standards, in line with government policy. He also warned business operators that ignorance of the law would not be accepted as a defence and urged anyone knowingly trading illegal goods to stop, adding that customs officers would continue investigations and enforcement despite the department having abolished cash rewards for informants.

Pictures courtesy of Daily News

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13 July 2026

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How can so many products pass the control and customs? It diesn't matter from who this shopowner bought them. Find the leak

4 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

The raid, codenamed “End of Luxury Food”,

Wouldn't exactly call a can of Heinz stuff "luxury food"...

My kingdom for a can of Guinness

Looking at you Thai Beer Cartels. ⭐

Yeah! Hurray! Please remove that horrible HP sauce from the shelfs! Can´t imagine how people can put that on food and say it good!

After that, it´s only cans with preserved food! Nothing to lose here! Does anybody here really eat that crap?

Yep, Thai-style. Put a reputable company giving the market what it wants out of business instead of just assessing a fine!

Just looks like a typical x pat shop to me, it would be interesting to see exactly what products were confiscated due to the lack of Thai FDA certification.

6 hours ago, Gottfrid said:

Yeah! Hurray! Please remove that horrible HP sauce from the shelfs! Can´t imagine how people can put that on food and say it good!

After that, it´s only cans with preserved food! Nothing to lose here! Does anybody here really eat that crap?

Crap?! Wash your mouth out with Sarson's, young man!

56 minutes ago, nauseus said:

Crap?! Wash your mouth out with Sarson's, young man!

Yeah, crap! 100% crap. However, you sound like a guy that eat canned and preserved condiments. Yummy, right? 😂

You should try some fresh produce for a change.

1 hour ago, WHansen said:

Just looks like a typical x pat shop to me, it would be interesting to see exactly what products were confiscated due to the lack of Thai FDA certification.

SoutheastAsians & Pacific Islanders

Yeah, you guys are lucky! You have special shops to be able to survive in spicy Thailand 🤣

Expat shop??? Sorry, but good laugh!

149 Baht for a tin of Macaroni Cheese. He deserves to be locked up.

You can imagine Sean, a Thai official, picks up a tin of Birds Custard powder, and thinks, What is this? What is it for.

Yes, the stock will be past it sell by date. There is enough custard powder to last a lifetime. Do they still even make Ambrosia creamed rice pudding?

Stuff I never imagined ever seeing in Thailand, the owner said he purchased the goods from another supplier. Interesting to see who that was.

On 7/13/2026 at 5:34 PM, Packer said:

149 Baht for a tin of Macaroni Cheese. He deserves to be locked up.

Yep he should, but he has to share cell with all that actually eat that crap.

On 7/13/2026 at 8:53 PM, kickstart said:

the owner said he purchased the goods from another supplier. Interesting to see who that was.

The owner of British WWII ration boxes, by the looks of things.

"The owner said they had been unaware that the goods were required to carry approval marks and other regulatory certification from relevant government agencies."

Operating your business for more than 10 years and didn't know that?! Pull the other one....

On 7/13/2026 at 4:16 AM, Georgealbert said:

The owner said they had been unaware that the goods were required to carry approval marks and other regulatory certification from relevant government agencies.

The goods in the OP have a sticker with text in Thai and a number code at the bottom.

That is same as what imported foods in Big C and the expat shops in Pattaya have, so what additional approval marks are they talking about?

This stuff made it past Mr T and the Iranians and gets stopped in Korat, what a waste!