Butt of the bust! Cops stub out 3 million baht cig smuggling racket
Police yesterday intercepted a shipment of illegal cigarettes worth approximately 3 million baht, hidden among parcels on a truck. The driver claimed ignorance of the cargo’s contents, saying warehouse staff loaded the vehicle.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Waris Machcha from Highway Police Station 3, Division 7, led the operation yesterday, April 6, that seized 5,480 packs of foreign cigarettes that had bypassed customs. These were concealed in 42 parcels aboard a non-regular freight truck, registered 71-0589 from Nonthaburi.
The raid occurred during routine patrols on the Asian Highway, Route 43, between kilometres 18 and 19 in Na Mom district, Songkhla province, as part of crime prevention efforts ahead of the Songkran festival.
Upon inspection, officers noticed irregularities with some parcels sharing the same sender’s name and displaying a unique rose stamp with the words Pink Rose beneath it. This, coupled with the varying number of parcels compared to others, raised suspicions of illegal activity.
The truck was subsequently escorted to Highway Police Station 3 in Hat Yai district for detailed examination, where the illicit cigarettes were discovered.
The driver, 32 year old Pramot, stated he worked for a private logistics company, responsible solely for driving and parcel delivery. Loading and unloading were tasks for warehouse staff at both the origin and destination.
He claimed no knowledge or involvement with the illegal cigarettes, mentioning the parcels were collected from Tak Bai district, Narathiwat province, and destined for a distribution centre in Bang Klam district, Songkhla province, reported KhaoSod.
Police have seized the illegal cigarettes and handed them over to the Koh Hong Police Station. Coordination with relevant agencies, such as the excise and customs departments, is underway to investigate and dismantle the smuggling network, suspected to be significant in the southern border provinces.
In similar news, police made a major arrest involving a key figure in the distribution of e-cigarettes across multiple outlets. The 56 year old suspect, who had previously spent more than 11 years in prison, insisted he was merely acting as a coordinator and not the actual owner of the operation.
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