Police 191 raided a warehouse secretly selling e-cigarettes, arresting 2 suspects along with 24,544 pieces of evidence worth approximately 5 million baht.
At 1:00 p.m. at the Patrol and Special Operation Division, Metropolitan Police Bureau, led by Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Thanakrit Jit-Aree-rat, Assistant Minister to the Ministry of Public Health, Pol. Lt. Gen. Nirandorn Leumsri, Assistant Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police, Pol. Lt. Gen. Thiti Sangsawang, Commissioner-General of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, announced the results of the arrest of online e-cigarette sellers, along with 24,544 pieces of evidence, worth approximately 5 million baht.
Pol Lt Col Natdanai Bamrungsri, Superintendent of Patrol Unit 2, said the task force had been investigating for 1 month. Previously, they had received a tip-off from an informant that there was an illegal sale of e-cigarettes online. They investigated until they found out that there was a warehouse in Soi Chan Muang 10, a community area in the Din Dae
ng area. They followed and tracked the area until they could confirm the target.
Later, on August 5, 2024 at approximately 3:40 p.m., from monitoring, a motorcycle taxi was found driving in and parking in front of the house. Mr. Phakwat or Mek, 23 years old, brought a large rainbow-colored sack to deliver to the motorcycle taxi. The police officers therefore revealed themselves and asked to search it. Inside, they found a parcel box containing e-cigarettes, e-cigarette liquids, and e-cigarette accessories. The officers then searched the warehouse and found Ms. Phakjira or Kip, 41 years old, another person in the warehouse. From the search, they found 11,261 e-cigarette liquid heads, 5,611 bottles of e-cigarette liquids, 2,750 disposable e-cigarettes, 454 e-cigarette devices, 4,431 coils, and 37 chargers.
Both suspects were questioned and stated that they were hired by ‘Mr. Arm’ to bring items to store at the warehouse. They would send a signal beforehand that someone would deliver the items. Their duty was
to help pack e-cigarettes, e-cigarette liquids, and equipment into boxes to be sent for sale. In addition, officers also found that e-cigarettes were being sold via the Line app called ’33VAPE’, which has 133,570 members. This part needs to be investigated to see how many minors are in the group and will be extended to Mr. Arm himself to track them down and arrest them. In addition, the police believe that e-cigarettes are being sent in batches from neighboring countries to warehouses in Bangkok. Import licenses must be checked. False documents can be imprisoned for up to 10 years.
Pol. Col. Thanakrit stated that the e-cigarettes detected this time have been developed into art toys to reach the target group of youth. After this, the Ministry of Education will be coordinated to strictly inspect e-cigarettes in students and to educate teachers in schools that e-cigarettes have changed their packaging to make it easier to inspect in educational institutions. He is also concerned that students may become addicte
d to e-cigarettes because the packaging, smell, and flavor have been adjusted. However, e-cigarettes are very dangerous and can even cause death.
The police arrested both suspects along with the evidence and sent them to the Huai Khwang Police Station for legal proceedings. The charges were ‘jointly violating the Product and Service Safety Committee’s Order No. 24/2567 on the prohibition of manufacturing for sale, prohibiting the sale or service of hookah products, electronic hookahs or e-cigarettes, or hookah drugs, liquid for refilling electronic hookahs or e-cigarettes, jointly concealing, helping to sell, helping to take away, buying, accepting as pawn or receiving in any way any goods that one should know are goods related to an offense under Section 246 of the Customs Act B.E. 2560.’
Source: Thai News Agency