Cosmetics seized from travelers at Thai airport checkpoints turn up in online sale

[Squigy]

I had a friend who worked at King Power ar swampy and she took all the water bottles home. Fridge was full of water and other confiscated stuff

[Mot Dang]

Thailand ? You gotta love them.

[yooyoo]

Did anybody in his right minds and lived in Thailand more than 5 minuets, thought for a one second

that all that stuff confiscated at the airport security people will go to the bin? really?

We know Thailand, this is no news for us, I would have a shocker if indeed, those confiscated

items would have gone to the trash....

Exactly! I am not surprised at all! This is Thailand they will try and benefit from any scheme imaginable!

[yooyoo]

Thailand ? You gotta love them.

Yeah but only the women.....

[Mot Dang]

The stuff should be donated to charity

I second that.

Donating it, [or even selling it at very reduced prices] is still better than throwing it away.

Bit shameful that the airport staff makes some money on this, but it explains why they are so strict about it.

Maybe use a marker to mark the bottle "FREE!" before you give it to them next time, haha. Don't forget to carry a magic marker to the airport, but still forget to not bring bottles bigger than 100ml...

Organizing the donation to charity of these cosmetics would require extra work above the call of duty, a bit of brain power no less, by these uniformed overseers. Na, won't happen. Getting a kick-back is so much more satisfying.

[Mot Dang]

I am just thinking... My wife forgot to leave the genuine Swiss Army Knife in her handbag at home before boarding the plane and had to "donate" it to the Airport Security at Chiang Mai. $#!+

Two years ago my wife had a Swiss Army Knife (not a real one), as big as her little finger, and they took that. The blade was about 1" long. It was just a sales gimmick she was given. Can you imagine bashing on the pilots door, holding that up, plus the house and car keys jangling away, and saying "get me to Syria now".

[Gsxrnz]

100ml of liquid is the rule at most Airports, most should know the procedure when being scanned.

The items would normally have to be destroyed, so I don't see a problem with the products being resold.

Incorrect - if alcohol or cosmetics or any other liquid is purchased at the duty free shops on the departure side of immigration and delivered to the departure gate in appropriate pre-approved packaging from the store, it is allowed on board.

The problem is it's a scam between the duty free stores and the gate check staff that confiscate the goods. The shops conveniently forget to tell you it should be delivered to the gate, and the gate check staff merrily take it off you.

[weegee]

Gosh - this comes as a real surprise!

Do you suppose that there could be similar operations flogging pen knives, nail files and scissors?

But they wouldn't sell the booze they confiscate. This is Thailand after all.

A guy was given a bottle of JD years ago, as a present at a particular airport (Not Thailand) and was running to catch the plane, which didnt give him time to put it in his luggage...Got pulled up at boarding gate and told to put it in the bin by a happy, excited, couple of scanner operators, who thought they had just won lotto....had time, so took it to the toilet poured out about a cup full, and pissed in it and smiled as he handed it to the eagerly awaiting zombies with grins all over their faces......

He who laughs last, laughs best......

[empireboy]

Ummm Geez! ... btw, the sun will be going down today and coming up again tomorrow. That's right folks. Don't forget, you heard the 'Breaking News' right here!

[Strangebrew]

Every try to get an item at lost and found? More lost and sold here.

[OOLEEBER]

Swiss army knives have been mentioned. I once forgot I had one in my carry on. I can't remember where but they confiscated it and then gave it back to me in a little sealed plastic satchel.... once we reached cruising altitude. Madness.

Edited February 17, 2016 by OOLEEBER

[sawadee1947]

don't tell me Thais are stupid...................

[Taffyfromflint]

Gosh - this comes as a real surprise!

Do you suppose that there could be similar operations flogging pen knives, nail files and scissors?

Not to mention the Canadian Club and Mount Gay rum that DF forgot to put in a sealed bag even though I was in transit. I bet someone had a right old party with that lot. Serves me right for not insisting on a bag. Bummer

[keskeseksa]

Why not? never heard of recycling before? It's a shame when they burn all that confiscated drug.

[Patanawet]

The problem is it's a scam between the duty free stores and the gate check staff that confiscate the goods. The shops conveniently forget to tell you it should be delivered to the gate, and the gate check staff merrily take it off you.

Is this true or a product of your imagination?

If true you should report it to the authorities.

[Batboy]

In Perth Australia they sell confiscated items such as scissors and nail files at the Canningvale markets I am told.

[JAG]

I am just thinking... My wife forgot to leave the genuine Swiss Army Knife in her handbag at home before boarding the plane and had to "donate" it to the Airport Security at Chiang Mai. $#!+

Some years ago brought my late mother ( then 80) out here to see her new granddaughter.

At the time I used to do a lot of offshore sailing, and had a good seaman's knife, a humungous thing a bit like a baby cutlass! For reasons I never understood mum packed it in her washbag, and then in her hand baggage!

It made its way through from the UK via Dubai, and was picked up at Don' Muang domestic terminal. Security took it off her, and to my amazement it was returned on arrival at Chiang Rai!

Ironically, the locked aluminium box containing my video camera, which was part of my hold baggage disappeared on the same flight!

[SOTIRIOS]

....bloodsuckers....

...(...not to give vampires or leeches a bad name....)....

[Lupatria]

If the business model reselling confiscated drugs, worked out to be successful, it's hardly a surprise if someone sticks to the famous copy rule: same same but different.

[MrBanks]

Entrepreneurs, the life and breath of every country; you've got to love them

[Lupatria]

100ml of liquid is the rule at most Airports, most should know the procedure when being scanned.

The items would normally have to be destroyed, so I don't see a problem with the products being resold.

Sold for charity, everyone would agree. Sold by some corrupt sleazebag, no

Sold for charity, everyone would agree.

However, under all circumstances you have to avoid the orange middlemen.

[Peter Strand]

This does not surprise me at all. LOS ( Land of Scam ), I had several experiences over the last few years and I was even putting liquids on the floor if there was no bin as I do not care. Ended up in "sil you can not" answering with "you see I can".

They sometimes even not allow to take Thuna fish cans ( which I take on weekly basis abroad as in the country I work they are double the price ) at Suvernabhumi airport ( at Don Muaeng and Phuket no problem ) in the hand luggage, was very funny to look at the face of the security officer when I took a plastic fork out of my computer bag eating 4 of them, emptying 8 and put the content in the garbage bin in front of him.

[davidstipek]

Gosh - this comes as a real surprise!

Do you suppose that there could be similar operations flogging pen knives, nail files and scissors?

But they wouldn't sell the booze they confiscate. This is Thailand after all.

Just Dump everything they try to say you cannot take. Believe me I did this in U.S. (bottle of Yukon Jack...) Was supposed when and who tried to stop me! Confirms stuff is not trashed!

[lonewolf99]

A good few years back I checked in at BKK and the check in staff said my bag was small enough to take on board. Not thinking through their offer I went through passport control (old days when security was after passport control ) and then remembered I had scissors and a leatherman multi tool.... I told the security staff I would have to go back and check it in as hold baggage. They said they wanted to"destroy the entire contents of the bag" I had to give up everything...!!!

I managed to wrestle the bag back and headed back to passport control being followed by a pi@@ed security female. I had to get a senior immigration officer to take me back to the check-in desk. Where I checked the bag in as hold luggage. I doubt very much if they had planned to destroy any of it. This was in the early days of swampy when they had the scam accusing people of shop lifting in duty free...... and as mentioned previously on this thread...none of this re-selling of confiscated goods is a surprise .....TIT

[cyberfarang]

Gosh - this comes as a real surprise!

Do you suppose that there could be similar operations flogging pen knives, nail files and scissors?

I was also shocked reading this report. It`s something that would never had occurred to me or thought about.

I often wondered where those lotions, brand named shampoos and deodorants being sold on the cheap at the local markets came from. As you say it probably doesn`t stop at cosmetics. I bet this goes on everywhere not only in Thailand.

There was one lady stall holder at my local market selling plastic cutlery sets still wrapped in the clear plastic bags with the names of the airlines on them. I bought a couple as novelty value. I wonder what else is smuggled out of airports? Fuel, mechanical parts, a multitude of things.

I don`t believe the stuff should be destroyed, but it could be donated to charities or the poor that I doubt anyone would have objections to that.

Edited February 17, 2016 by cyberfarang

[HooHaa]

the one time early on i was unaware of the restrictions i poured the contents of the bottle into the receptacle provided.

honestly where did you think all that expensive stuff was going?

[Artisi]

Anytime I've been told to dispose of any item at an airport checkpoint in Thailand I've made it a point to empty all the contents in the bin before disposing of the packaging all the while smiling at the lady standing by the bin.

Not sure why you would be so smug. It would show greater smarts to follow the simple guidelines on what can and cannot be taken hand luggage.

Forgetfulness, seem to remember an ex BIB heavy forgetting a loaded handgun in this checked luggage - that's of course after it was allowed to pass Thai security on the way out....

[sn1per]

Does anyone check to see if the goods confiscated are contaminated, before they are sold on?

[freedom4life]

Bunch of criminals...how dare you confiscate our products on the basis of some bogus claims and then sale them behind our backs....where's my baseball bat?

[Gsxrnz]

I wonder what else is smuggled out of airports? Fuel, mechanical parts, a multitude of things.

There's probably a Somchai working in the R&M division who's smuggling out an Airbus 380 piece by piece to assemble on Pee Chai's farm up in Nakon Nowhere.

A bit like Radar O'reilly from 4077 M*A*S*H. He was sending home a jeep to Mom piece by piece every week.