Krabi: Cyber police conducted a raid on e-cigarette warehouses across four provinces, resulting in the arrest of five suspects involved in the illegal sale of e-cigarettes and the seizure of over 1,000 items valued at more than 300,000 baht. Pol. Lt. Gen. Trirong Phiwpaen, Commander of the Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD), led the operation, targeting locations in Krabi, Phuket, Roi Et, and Khon Kaen.
According to Thai News Agency, the operation discovered that while many e-cigarettes were sold online, some shops, such as one in Khao Phanom District, Krabi Province, were covertly selling to students and the public. Mr. Chayanon, a 27-year-old suspect, admitted to selling e-cigarettes primarily to children and teenagers. He adjusted his sales method to appointment-only pickups and prohibited customers from wearing school uniforms to avoid detection by authorities.
An examination of Mr. Chayanon’s phone revealed multiple student and youth customer accounts, with no customers under 13 years old identified. Initially, he was charged with selling or providing prohibited products, which could result in up to 3 years in prison or a fine up to 600,000 baht, alongside charges under the Customs Act.
In a separate investigation, police from Division 4, Technology Crime Investigation Division 5, dismantled an illegal weapons network by arresting Mr. Phinyo, 44, in Kaeng Khoi District, Saraburi Province. He was found with a Conversion Unit .22 LR gun lacking a serial number and registration, along with critical gun parts.
Mr. Phinyo admitted ownership and claimed he purchased the items from a Facebook page two years ago for 27,000 baht. He had no registration for the firearms and utilized social media to boast his ability to modify guns, although he reported no customers availed of his services. He faces charges of possessing an unregistered firearm without a license.
