A member of a smuggling gang has been caught with contraband cosmetics and other items worth about one million baht in Nakhon Ratchasima’s Muang district, police said on Thursday.
Santisuk Srisombun, 22, of Prachin Buri, was arrested after police stopped his pickup truck for a search on Mittaphap Road in tambon Jor Hor late on Wednesday night.
They were acting on information that smugglers planned to move untaxed goods brought in from a neighbouring country along the bypass road.
The search found a range of contraband items -- hand cream, face powder and other cosmetics, and smartphone cases. The seized items had a retail value of about one million baht, said police.
Mr Santisuk, who was shown at a press conference on Thursday, allegedly told police he was paid 1,500 baht for each trip, taking smuggled goods from Khon Kaen to Saraburi. He had done it several times.
Police said the items had been smuggled from a neighouring country and were destined for sale at weekend markets in several provinces. Most of the cosmetics were not approved by the Food and Drug Administration and they could be harmful to users, police said.
The suspect was kept in police custody for legal action.