NAKHON SI THAMMARAT – Police have arrested a suspected member of a smuggling ring involved in transporting illegal e-cigarettes worth about 12 million baht from Hat Yai to Nakhon Pathom, seizing over 133,000 items. The truck driver claimed he was unaware the goods were illegal, saying he was merely hired to drive the truck.
At a press conference held at 10.30am on Friday, police announced the arrest of a 40-year-old man identified as Preecha, along with 133,120 confiscated e-cigarettes valued at approximately 12 million baht. Officers also seized a 10-wheel truck registered in Songkhla province used to transport the items.
Police said that recent intelligence indicated a secondary road in the province had unusually heavy traffic from large trucks, arousing suspicion among local residents. Believing the route was being used to evade main-road checkpoints operating 24 hours a day, officers set up a temporary checkpoint along the road.
At around 2.30am on Friday, police spotted a 10-wheel truck travelling along the route and conducted a search, discovering a large quantity of illegal e-cigarettes hidden inside.
The driver insisted he had no connection to the smuggled goods and claimed he was only hired to deliver the shipment. He said he was instructed to avoid police checkpoints, which led him to take the secondary road where he was eventually apprehended.
Authorities have pressed charges and sent the suspect, along with the confiscated items, to investigators for further legal proceedings.
Source: Bangkok Post