Finance deputy minister targets illegal cigarette smuggling in Thailand
Police ramp up surveillance amid rising flow of unregulated goods
The Ministry of Finance’s Deputy Minister, Paophum Rojanasakul, recently visited the Nakhon Pathom office of the Excise Department Region 7 to oversee operations aimed at eliminating illegal excise tax-evading goods. The initiative focuses on preventing the smuggling and sale of illicit products.
Efforts were particularly targeted at stopping the smuggling of illegal cigarettes across the border into various areas, including online sales. The Excise Department Region 7, specifically the Kanchanaburi office, reported that a smuggling operation was moving cigarettes through natural border channels in the Sangkhla Buri district. These operations, known as ant armies, involve moving small quantities continuously to evade detection.
Investigations and searches led to the seizure of 35,250 packs of illegal cigarettes, comprising 30,000 packs of Thai For Export Only soft packs, 5,150 packs of Thai For Export Only hard packs, and 100 packs of foreign cigarettes. The tax and fine damages are estimated at 4,707,894.48 baht (US$141,045).
There are two main smuggling routes for illegal cigarettes: importing foreign cigarettes through postal services from neighbouring countries and smuggling domestic cigarettes via natural channels, accumulating in large quantities before distributing inland.
Paophum instructed the Excise Department Region 7 and its affiliates to rigorously implement the Zero Tolerance policy against excise tax evasion.
Measures include tightening control in Kanchanaburi at various western border points such as Ban Phu Nam Ron in Mueang district and Ban I-Tong in Thong Pha Phum district, as well as at temporary trade relaxation points like Phra Chedi Sam Ong and Ban Ton Yang in Sangkhla Buri district.
Additionally, controls in Prachuap Khiri Khan are reinforced at the Singkhon border checkpoint in Mueang district. Online channels, particularly in the south, are also monitored for smuggling activities through delivery companies.
These efforts in the first six months of the 2025 fiscal year (October 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025) led to 1,254 cases being prosecuted, marking a 28.26% increase from the previous year, with fines amounting to 51.49 million baht (US$1.5 million) and estimated fines of 148.06 million baht (US$4.43 million). The majority of cases involved tobacco (57.34%), followed by alcohol (32.78%).
Specific case breakdowns include 719 tobacco cases with fines of 29.88 million baht (US$895,415) and estimated fines of 142.68 million baht (US$4.7 million), involving 75,289 packs of domestic and 73,367 packs of foreign tobacco.
Alcohol cases amounted to 411, with fines of 6.40 million baht (US$191,810) and estimated fines of 777,600.50 baht (US$23,305), involving 5,702.81 litres of domestic and 552.64 litres of foreign alcohol.
Other cases included oil products (12 cases), motorcycles (34 cases), playing cards (35 cases), vehicles (7 cases), perfumes and cosmetics (14 cases), beverages (15 cases), and batteries (7 cases).
Paophum commended the Excise Department Region 7 and its affiliates for their rigorous work and called for continued efforts to eradicate the root causes of smuggling, reported KhaoSod.
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