On Nut: Central Investigation Police join forces with the Metropolitan Police, using a court warrant to search an online e-cigarette distribution company, finding more than 100,000 items of evidence worth more than 50 million baht. An inspection of the company owner’s accounts found more than 100 million baht in deposits.
According to Thai News Agency, the Central Investigation Bureau, led by the Consumer Protection Police Division and the Crime Suppression Division, together with the Metropolitan Police, raided a company inside a 4-storey, 2-unit commercial building in the On Nut area, Prawet District. The warehouse was storing a large amount of imported e-cigarettes from China and selling the products online, generating more than 10 million baht per month.
In this case, the police from both agencies monitored the behavior of Mr. A, the owner of the company, for more than 4 months. They discovered that every evening at around 7:00 PM, Mr. A would withdraw cash from an ATM, ranging from 350,000 to 500,000 baht per day. All of the bank accounts used were mule accounts.
Pol. Gen. Prachuap Wongsuk, deputy national police chief, revealed that during the search by the Central Investigation Bureau and Metropolitan Police Bureau detectives, 11 male and female employees were found packing products into parcel boxes for delivery to customers who had ordered online.
From questioning the owner and the employees, they confessed that daily customer orders for e-cigarettes and e-cigarette liquids via the Line channel exceeded 350 pieces, with some days reaching up to 500 pieces. The product prices ranged from 250 to 2,500 baht. Customers included both individual buyers and those purchasing for resale. All evidence was sourced from a Chinese investor who has been importing products for over 2 years. A check of the company owner’s bank account revealed deposits exceeding 100 million baht.
The deputy commissioner of the Royal Thai Police stated that the suspect admitted selling the products despite ongoing police crackdowns because of excess stock. The evidence seized included 30,000 e-cigarettes, 35,000 refillable e-liquids, 5,000 e-cigarette coils, and 50,000 replaceable e-liquids, totaling over 100,000 items worth more than 50 million baht.
The police are preparing to bring the suspects, including the company owner and 12 employees, to the Consumer Protection Police Division investigators for legal proceedings. Charges include jointly violating the orders of the Product and Service Safety Committee, and breaching the Consumer Protection Act B.E. 2522, Section 29, and Section 56/4. They are also preparing to invoke the Anti-Money Laundering Act to seize assets and accounts of all suspects.