The Thon Buri Criminal Court has approved arrest warrants for a former Bangkok city council candidate and three associates in connection with a major e-cigarette trafficking network in the Thon Buri area.
The warrants followed raids by Metropolitan Police Bureau investigators and Phasi Charoen police in May, police said.
“Operation Smoke Out 2” targeted two locations in Thon Buri area on May 16. The first was a house on Soi Therd Thai 83, where they seized 140,000 e-cigarette products, including vapes and vaping liquids.
The second location was a condominium room in Bukkhalo area where more than 40,000 vaping items were seized, along with 500 rounds of 9mm firearm ammunition and bank account books.
The combined retail value of the goods was about 90 million baht, according to Pol Col Opas Harnnarong, superintendent of Phasi Charoen police station.
The arresting team also raided three other houses in the Suksawat area, but found no illegal goods or suspects.
An expanded investigation identified four people believed involved in an e-cigarette sales network.
Phasi Chaoren police on June 7 obtained warrants from the Thon Buri Criminal Court for the arrest of Itthipol Laohasuwattanakul, alias “Warm”, a failed city council candidate for Huai Kwang district, another man and two women.
The other man was Anusorn Kamsert and the women Thanapha Chantharasi and Thanit Patthanapan. One of the women was Mr Itthipol’s girlfriend, police said.
All four face charges of colluding in the smuggling prohibited goods in violation of the 2017 Customs Act and related offences under regulations issued by the Ministry of Commerce and the Customs Department.
Police investigators allege they have adequate evidence linking Mr Itthipol to the large-scale importation and distribution of e-cigarette products.
No arrests had been made. Investigators were working with immigration officials and other agencies to prevent the suspects fleeing the country. Meanwhile, their whereabouts remained unknown.
The case was ongoing.