![The Third Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge links Nakhon Phanom with Thakhek, Khammouane in Laos.](https://static.bangkokpost.com/media/content/20150211/c1_472281_150211162728.jpg)
NAKHON PHANOM – Over 300,000 pieces of counterfeit products worth at least 500 million baht were seized on the Thai-Lao bridge in the border province on Tuesday.
Acting on a tipoff, customs officials at the third Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge stopped an 18-wheeler with a Lao licence plate and a container filled with illegal goods. The bridge links Nakhon Phanom with Kam Muan in Laos.
Yuthana Yimkarun, deputy director-general of the Customs Department, said on Wednesday Good Contact Partnership Ltd had declared the goods as shoes, clothes and toys of different brands from China but inspection revealed the products did not match the descriptions.
Authorities found around 80,000 watches of well-known brands, as well as bags, cosmetics, garments, shoes, toys, Apple iPhone 6 smartphones, walkie-talkie and H5N1 vaccine. Most of the products were copycats. The officials spent more than 10 hours inspecting more than 300,000 pieces stuffed in around 200 boxes and sacks in the container.
According to intelligence, the goods were destined for Bangkok before being distributed to other tourist destinations in Thailand, Mr Yuthana said.
Kamsai Chataraksa, the 34-year-old driver from Savannakhet in Laos, admitted the container was originally from China and then shipped to Thailand through Vietnam and Laos. He was hired to drive the truck to Thailand but did not know what was inside the container.
Mr Yuthana said the company had earlier imported similar products around 20 times and might have tried its luck with this shipment by putting counterfeit goods under the declared products.
The representatives of Good Contact Partnership were charged with falsely declaring imports with an intent to dodge tax and violating laws on copyrights, trademarks, communication radio and industrial products standards.
The products' owners would be brought in to help inspect the goods, which would later be destroyed.