2 Chinese and 11 Burmese arrested in Bangkok e-cigarettes factory raid
Officers uncover millions worth of illicit products and seize machines
Police arrested two Chinese nationals and 11 Burmese nationals for turning a warehouse in Bangkok into an illegal factory producing e-cigarettes. Officers seized 60,000 illicit products along with equipment used in vape production.
Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) officers raided the warehouse in the Tha Kham area of Bang Khun Thian district, Bangkok, yesterday. Two Chinese nationals were found at the scene and admitted to being the manager and quality control staff. Eleven Burmese nationals were also discovered working on the production line.
One of the Chinese suspects told officers that his employer, based in China, had been renting the warehouse for around two months and had hired him to oversee the facility and e-cigarette production. The two Chinese men revealed they were paid via the WeChat application, each receiving a salary of 50,000 baht per month.
All suspects found at the scene were arrested and taken to the CIB office for questioning and legal proceedings.
Police reported that the warehouse was converted into a small-scale factory producing e-cigarettes. Officers seized more than 60,000 pieces of illegal vaping products and equipment, such as 11,400 e-cigarettes, three pressing machines, two e-liquid pressing machines, 45,000 cartridges, and five gallons of e-liquid. The total value of the seized evidence was estimated at over 3 million baht.
The crackdown stemmed from the confiscation of 7,000 e-cigarettes in Bangkok’s Prawet district on July 16. Further investigations led police to the warehouse, where additional illegal items were stored. Officers subsequently sought a search warrant from the Thonburi Criminal Court before launching the raid.
On the same day, Cyber Police and Excise Department officers raided a building in Saraburi province and seized e-cigarettes valued at over 100 million baht. The raid followed the arrest of a leading vape dealer in Bangkok.
A Thai woman was named on the building’s rental contract and will be summoned for questioning. Police confirmed that investigations are ongoing into other suspects connected to the storage and manufacture of the illegal products.
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