E-cigarettes seized in port crackdown

Thai customs officials seized 120,000 illicit e-cigarettes, valued at about $640,000, from four shipping containers at Laem Chabang Port. The operation, conducted on March 17, followed intelligence reports and a January seizure alert from the Department of Special Investigation regarding suspected contraband. 

The containers, declared as carrying furniture, were detained after importers failed to claim the goods within the mandatory 30-day period. “The e-cigarettes were concealed behind legitimate goods at the rear of the containers,” a customs official said, highlighting the smuggling tactic used.

The seizure underscores an intensified crackdown on e-cigarette smuggling, driven by government policy to curb youth addiction to nicotine.