Contraband gone in a puff of smoke

Contraband gone in a puff of smoke

More than half a million packets of illegally imported cigarettes have disappeared from a warehouse in Nonthaburi province.

Excise Department expert Sudjai Khontat and Department of Special Investigation officials made the discovery during a routine inspection on Friday.

The warehouse, owned by Hua Sia Co Ltd, was being used to store 638,000 packets of U-Light cigarettes from Cambodia.

Mr Sudjai said excise officials had confiscated the cigarettes on Feb 24 over a false import declaration.

But instead of storing the cigarettes in a government facility, they left them in the company warehouse.

Mr Sudjai said the locks were changed, but inspectors found they had been removed and the warehouse emptied.

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