3 Vietnamese men arrested in illegal cannabis farm raid in Bangkok
Police raided an illegal cannabis farm hidden inside a warehouse in Bangkok’s Bang Khun Thian district and arrested three Vietnamese men today, December 17.
The raid was carried out by officers from the Crime Suppression Division (CSD) in coordination with officials from the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine.
Officials moved in after receiving a complaint from a local who reported a strong smell of cannabis coming from the warehouse throughout the day. The resident said the odour was unusually strong and persistent, raising suspicions that cannabis was being illegally cultivated inside the building.
Following the complaint, CSD officers conducted an investigation, gathered evidence, and applied for a search warrant from the Thonburi Criminal Court before launching the operation.
During the search, officers discovered three Vietnamese men inside the warehouse. They were identified as 28 year old Nguyen Duc Anh, 27 year old Do Van Bay, and 35 year old Dang Sy Tai.
Police said the suspects admitted to cultivating cannabis plants at the location and operating a cannabis-related business without the required licence under Thai law.
A total of 1,685 cannabis plants were seized. Each plant reportedly produced around 100 grammes of dried cannabis flower, giving an estimated combined weight of approximately 168 kilogrammes. The total value of the seized plants was around 1.7 million baht.
The three suspects were charged with violating Section 46 of the Thai Traditional Medical Knowledge Protection and Promotion Act.
The law prohibits the unauthorised study, research, export, sale, or commercial processing of controlled herbs, including cannabis, without proper approval. A penalty is up to one year in prison, a fine of up to 20,000 baht, or both.
A similar case was reported in January, when a Vietnamese national was arrested for cultivating cannabis inside a building in Bangkok. In that case, the suspect claimed he did not own the operation and said he was hired by a Thai man for a monthly wage of 20,000 baht to take care of the plants.
No further updates have been reported regarding the investigation or arrest of the Thai individual mentioned in that earlier case.
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