A 20 year old Myanmar national was apprehended for smuggling illicit cigarettes, valued at over 2 million baht, via natural routes along the Sangkhla Buri border. The shipment was destined for the Ban Phra Chedi Sam Ong Market.
Yesterday, July 21, Police Major General Atsadawut Panyaraoon, commander of the 9th Infantry Division and head of the Surasi Task Force, along with Kanchanaburi governor Athisan Intra, announced that they had received information about the smuggling operation.
The cigarettes were being covertly transported from the border to inner areas, utilising natural routes to evade security detection.
Colonel Phannasak Phriwapanich, commander of the 29th Infantry Regiment, and Colonel Piyanes Phatrasasawatwong, deputy commander of the Lat Ya Task Force, Surasi Task Force, worked in collaboration with Border Patrol Police Company 134 and Sangkhla Buri district officials to conduct a patrol and stakeout near Ban Bo Ye Poon, Nong Lu subdistrict, Sangkhla Buri district, Kanchanaburi province.
By the afternoon, police heard the sound of a motorcycle in this natural route area. Upon investigation, they found 20 year old Aos driving a motorcycle with a sidecar, registration number 761 Kanchanaburi, carrying suspicious items concealed under a blue tarpaulin.
Security personnel conducted a thorough search and discovered 2,000 packs of tax-evading cigarettes hidden inside white plastic bags, valued at approximately 2 million baht. (US$61,995)
Upon questioning, Aos revealed he was hired to smuggle the untaxed cigarettes to the Ban Phra Chedi Sam Ong Market in Nong Lu subdistrict, Sangkhla Buri district, Kanchanaburi province, for sale. The police confiscated the items and took Aos to the Sangkhla Buri Police Station for legal proceedings, reported KhaoSod.
In similar news, Thai police apprehended two Cambodian nationals on July 6 while they were attempting to smuggle nearly 16,000 packs of untaxed cigarettes across the border near Khao Din market.
The operation was carried out by the 1303rd Ranger Company, the 13th Ranger Regiment, the Khlong Hat Task Force of the Burapha Force, and officials from the Sakaeo excise department.
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