Police raid illegal 'Chinese-run' e-cigarettes warehouse in Bangkok
Published date: Sat, 12 Oct 2024 09:59:13 +0700
Police raided an illegal e-cigarette warehouse believed to be run by a Chinese grey business in Bangkok, Thailand.
The Consumer Protection Police Division flagged the vape distributor after finding a website and Facebook page selling around 200 to 300 boxes of e-cigarettes a day that were delivered through a private courier.
Assistant national police chief Police Lieutenant General Nirundorn Luamsri said police arrested the online store owners during a delivery on October 8 evening.
In an October 9 press conference, he said: 'From this operation, we were able to arrest two Thai suspects who are direct distributors and warehouse operators of e-cigarettes. The arresting team took them to search a warehouse located on Ramkhamhaeng Road 2, Soi 10, where two apartment units were converted into a storage facility.'
They found 30,000 items, including vapes, vape juices, and related equipment, all totalling more than 10 million THB (227,844 GBP). Authorities said different vehicles would bring the shipments to the warehouse, presumably to avoid suspicion.
The colourful packaging and sweet flavours were said to be designed to appeal to a younger market.
The suspects allegedly admitted to running the online vape store and owning the warehouse. They said they bought the goods from Chinese traders.
The pair were taken to the Consumer Protection Police Division to be charged with 'selling products prohibited by the Office of the Consumer Protection Board' and 'concealing and distributing prohibited products'.
If found guilty, they may face three years of jail, fines of up to 600,000 THB, or both.
Police said they will expand the investigation into the network of distributors as the products reportedly arrived in Bangkok via ship.
The raid comes as Thailand's Public Health Ministry is cracking down on e-cigarettes.
Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin said his office was enforcing policies and raising awareness about the harms of vaping.
The National Tobacco Product Control Committee and the Department of Disease Control has also formed a task force to enforce impose laws regarding e-cigarettes.
