Police first targetted nine shops in Khlong Thom market in Pomprap Sattruphai district on Thursday Feb 28), Pol Lt-Gen Surachat Hakparn, chief of immigration police, told a news conference on Sunday night.
Police arrested three Thais and two Lao nationals in possession of 1,729 bottles of liquid nicotine solution, 113 e-cigarettes and hookahs and 198 accessories, worth about B500,000 in total.
On Sunday police raided another 21 shops at night markets and arrested 16 Thais and two Myanmar nationals, seizing 1,127 bottles of liquid nicotine solution, 81 e-cigarettes and hookahs and 752 accessories, worth about B425,000.
The detainees were charged with possessing and providing contraband products, and violating the tobacco control law and migrant workers’ law. These offences carry maximum jail terms of five years and/or fines of up to B600,000.
The raids come after an international media backlash over the imprisonment and deportation of a French tourist in February who was caught with an e-cigarette in Phuket. (See story here.)
See original story here.