Vietnamese national arrested for illegal cannabis farm in Bangkok
A Vietnamese national was arrested for illegal cannabis cultivation in a building in Bangkok, following complaints about noise and odours. The suspect claimed to have been hired by a Thai person for 20,000 baht a month.
Yesterday, January 28, Police Major General Prasart Kemmaprasit, Commander of Immigration Division 1, alongside officers including Police Colonel Rapeepat Utsaha, Deputy Commander and Acting Superintendent of Investigation, and Police Colonel Keeratisak Kongkiat-Siri, conducted an operation to arrest those involved in illegal cannabis cultivation.
The investigation was prompted by tips about suspicious activities by a group of Vietnamese nationals in a house, causing disturbances to nearby residents in Soi Ngam Wong Wan 32, Thung Song Hong subdistrict, Lak Si district, Bangkok.
Police discovered a cannabis cultivation site and sought a search warrant from the Criminal Court to inspect the commercial building at 55/83-85 Ngam Wong Wan Road, coordinating with Prachachuen Police Station and the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine.
The commercial building, consisting of three units over four floors, was found to have been repurposed. The first floor served as storage for fertiliser and accommodation for six to seven workers.
The second to fourth floors were equipped with cultivation apparatus, climate control devices, air conditioning, and watering systems. During the search, Nguyen Ngoc, a Vietnamese national, admitted to working there for approximately four months, receiving 20,000 baht (US$595) monthly from a Thai employer known as Ton, whose full name is unknown.
The search yielded several items, including a bag of cannabis flowers, 242 cannabis plants with cut flowers, 232 plants without flowers, and 455 cannabis seedlings. Charges filed included working without a permit under the Royal Ordinance on the Management of Foreign Workers and selling or processing controlled herbs (cannabis) without a licence under the Act on Protection and Promotion of Traditional Thai Medicine Wisdom.
The building lacked a proper cannabis cultivation licence from the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine, Ministry of Public Health. The legal entity owning the building and the workers face prosecution for unlicensed processing and distribution of flowering cannabis plants, with penalties of up to one year in prison, fines of up to 20,000 baht, or both, reported KhaoSod.
If evidence of export emerges, further charges may be applied. Entrepreneurs aiming to cultivate cannabis for processing and sale must legally register with government agencies, ensuring controlled distribution and preventing issues like sales to minors, which could escalate into broader social problems.
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