Thai police seize 5 million baht worth of vaping products in Bangkok

Thai police dismantled a major online vaping operation, seizing over 24,000 items from a townhouse in Din Daeng, Bangkok. Officers described it as the largest bust of its kind this year.

The raid, conducted yesterday, August 6, at 1pm, was led by high-ranking officials, including Nirandon Lueamsri, Deputy Commissioner of Police, and Thanakrit Jittareerat, Assistant to the Minister of Public Health. They announced the arrest of individuals involved in the illegal sale of electronic cigarettes via online platforms.

Nirandon disclosed that the police received a tip-off about an online store named 33VAPE selling e-cigarettes through the LINE app. After a month-long investigation, police pinpointed a two-storey townhouse in Din Daeng as the storage and distribution hub for the illicit products. The operation catered to customers online and supplied smaller retailers across Bangkok.

Officers observed a 23 year old man, Phakawat, delivering a large rainbow-coloured sack to a motorcycle taxi parked outside the townhouse on Monday, August 5. Police intervened, finding a substantial amount of vaping products in the parcel. Phakawat admitted to having more items inside the house and led the officers in. Inside, they found 41 year old Phakjira, Phakawat’s sister, who was overseeing the operation.

The search revealed a massive haul: 11,261 e-liquid pods, 5,611 bottles of e-liquid, 2,750 disposable e-cigarettes, 454 vaping devices, 4,431 coils, and 37 chargers. The total value of the seized items was estimated at 5 million baht.

The suspects were taken to Huai Khwang Police Station for further investigation under Section 246 of the Customs Act of 2017. Police stated that this seizure was the largest of the year and noted that the e-cigarettes were imported legally from neighbouring countries before being sold illegally in Thailand.

Police are now working to trace the operation’s masterminds. They urged the public to report any information about illegal e-cigarette sales to the national hotline at 1599.

During the interrogation, the suspects claimed they were hired by a man named Arm to package and distribute the vaping products. They received a monthly salary of 15,000 baht. The townhouse had been operating for about two years, establishing itself as a major distributor in Bangkok, reported KhaoSod.