PATHUM THANI — Police have raided an illegal coffee-making plant in Lat Lum Kaeo district and seized fake instant coffee emulating a popular brand worth an estimated two million baht.
Police from the Economic Crime Suppression Division, armed with a search warrant, arrested seven men and women including four Lao nationals and three Karen hilltribe people during the raid at a warehouse in tambon Khlong Phra Udom on Thursday afternoon.
Officials, who were acting on a tip-off from local residents, seize from the warehouse 89,000 packets of fake Nescafé 3-in-1 instant coffee, 280,000 empty packets, 19 bags of instant coffee and eight machines.
Pol Maj Gen Chaowalit Sawangouad, deputy chief of the Central Investigation Bureau, said the warehouse was rented by a man identified as Utain Usa whose house registration is in Chiang Rai. Police are trying to locate and arrest him.
Pol Maj Gen Chaowalit said the suspects would be charged with producing and selling bogus food products as well as producing and selling foods with unlicensed labels. They face imprisonment of between six months and 10 years and a fine of up to 100,000 baht.