Post by : Shakul

Thailand has intensified its nationwide crackdown on the smuggling of illegal cigarettes, e-cigarettes, laughing gas and ethomidate as authorities continue major enforcement operations against black-market networks. The government said contraband worth more than 409 million baht was seized between October 2025 and May 2026 during coordinated actions involving customs and police agencies.

Deputy government spokesperson Ms. Ploytalay Laksmisangchan said the operations were launched under the directive of Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who ordered stronger enforcement against illegal trade and smuggling activities. Authorities from the Customs Department, Ministry of Finance and the Central Investigation Bureau of the Royal Thai Police have been working together to track illegal networks from supply sources to final distribution channels.

Officials reported that more than 49 million illegal cigarettes worth over 225 million baht were confiscated during the operations. Authorities also seized over 548,000 e-cigarettes and vaping accessories valued at more than 71 million baht, along with over 140,000 nitrous oxide canisters worth approximately 95 million baht.

Investigators revealed that smugglers have changed their tactics to avoid stricter inspections. In many cases, e-cigarette components such as batteries, devices and liquid cartridges were separated and falsely declared as normal electronic goods before being hidden inside containers carrying consumer products.

Authorities said a major inspection of cargo shipments arriving from China led to the seizure of more than 52,000 complete e-cigarette sets and 100 gallons of e-liquid valued at over six million baht. Additional searches in postal delivery systems under Customs Region 4 also resulted in the seizure of more than 52,000 illegal vaping products and accessories.

At Suvarnabhumi Airport, customs officers detained Thai passengers arriving from Tokyo and seized e-cigarette devices along with more than 165,000 vape cartridges. Officials estimated the seized products to be worth over 900,000 baht.

Authorities also raised concerns about the increasing smuggling of ethomidate, a dangerous substance reportedly mixed into vape liquid and sold illegally under names such as “space oil” and “zombie cigarettes.” Officials stated that more than 28 kilograms of ethomidate imported from India had been confiscated, leading to the arrest of a Thai trafficking network connected to the operation.

The government warned that e-cigarettes, laughing gas and illegal chemical substances pose serious health risks affecting the respiratory system, heart and brain. Officials stressed that importing, possessing or selling e-cigarettes remains illegal in Thailand and violators could face strict legal punishment.

Authorities are urging the public not to support illegal vaping and cigarette products and to report suspicious activities to law enforcement agencies. The government said anti-smuggling operations will continue as officials work to dismantle illegal trade networks and prevent dangerous substances from spreading further in society.

#world news #Thailand News #Asia News #Crime