Thai cops bust Chinese man over counterfeit electronics worth 20 million baht

Thai cops busted a Chinese man in Bangkok over counterfeit electronics that cost over 20 million baht. Officers from the Economic Crime Suppression Division (ECD) found fake phones and electronic devices in a raid at a warehouse in the Don Mueang district on Friday.

The team searched three buildings and found Huang Yiqun, a 56 year old Chinese national, working as the warehouse caretaker and four Laotian workers.

Huang revealed that he was hired by an unidentified Chinese businessman to manage the products in the warehouse. He admitted that the items were counterfeit products sold online, The Pattaya News reported.

Huang was paid a monthly salary of 30,000 baht, which he said was enough to live on and better than what he could earn in China.

The police arrested Huang and charged him with possession of counterfeit products. Police are now searching for the primary owner of the illegal business.

This news comes just a week after Thai police swooped on yet another illegal Chinese business operation. Officers from the Consumer Protection Division (CPD) in Thailand conducted searches in two different locations in Prawet District in Bangkok and Samut Prakan province. They seized counterfeit cosmetics and low-quality medical supplies worth an estimated 14 million baht.

Some 67,000 counterfeit cosmetics, fake toothpaste, and substandard medical equipment and rubber gloves were found at the warehouse in Samut Prakan and the packaging office in Prawet District.

During the raids, a Chinese national was discovered at one of the two locations and was taken into custody. The arrested individual, identified only as “Zhong,” claimed to be merely an employee tasked with caring for the products, which had been imported from China.

The most high-profile incident of illegal Chinese operations in Thailand in recent months involved Chinese businessman Chaiyanat “Tuhao” Kornchayanant. Tuhao and 40 accomplices were indicted in Bangkok on January 19 on a wide variety of charges, including drug trafficking and money laundering.