Malaysian man arrested in Bangkok for smuggling liquor

A Malaysian man was arrested yesterday after police discovered he smuggled liquor from abroad and manufactured alcohol with fake brand-name labels to sell in Bangkok.

Police from the Patrol and Special Operation Division discovered the illegal activities of a 55 year old Malaysian man named Chan when they raided his house in the Min Buri district of Bangkok yesterday at 4pm.

A police report revealed Chan smuggled different brands of alcohol from abroad and produced counterfeit alcohol. He created fake brand labels and excise stamps of foreign liquor brands for his homebrew spirits and sold them cheaply to entertainment venues in the Min Buri area.

Police seized 4,000 fake Malaysian excise stamps, 96 bottles of Walton whisky, 240 bottles of King Robert whisky, more than 1,000 fake labels of Johnnie Walker, Penfolds Bin 407 wine, 960 empty liquor bottles, and 360 empty wine bottles.

Chan confessed that he had been operating his mini alcohol factory for about a year. He bought empty bottles from recycling shops and refilled them. He sold the alcohol at 3,200 to 7,500 baht per box and earned 150,000 to 200,000 baht per month.

Chan faced three charges:

• Section 33 of the Liquor Act: possessing non-taxed liquor. The penalty is imprisonment for up to six months, a fine up to four times more expensive than the tax, or both.
• Section 137 of the Excise Tax Act: possessing goods that are not taxed or fully taxed for sale. The penalty is imprisonment for up to one month or a fine from five to 15 times more expensive than the tax.
• Section 108 of the Trademark Act: counterfeit trademarked of other registered brands. The penalty is imprisonment for up to four years, a fine of up to 400,000 baht, or both.

In 2019 Chan was charged with liquor smuggling where police seized over 600,000 baht of evidence. Police believe Chan does not work alone and reported they will further investigate until to find the relevant people.