Thailand Strengthens Assault on Illegal Vaping

Post by : Shakul

Thailand is amplifying its efforts in the nationwide fight against the smuggling of illegal cigarettes and vaping products, including e-cigarettes and laughing gas. Recent operations have led to authorities seizing contraband valued at over 409 million baht from October 2025 to May 2026, as part of collaborative actions by customs and police agencies.

The crackdown follows Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul's directive for heightened enforcement against illegal trade. Key agencies, such as the Customs Department, Ministry of Finance, and the Central Investigation Bureau of the Royal Thai Police, are pooling resources to dismantle smuggling operations from their origins to the distribution endpoints.

Reports indicate that over 49 million illegal cigarettes, representing more than 225 million baht in value, have been confiscated. In addition, customs authorities seized over 548,000 e-cigarettes and associated hardware worth over 71 million baht, as well as roughly 140,000 canisters of nitrous oxide valued around 95 million baht.

Investigators disclosed that smugglers are evolving their strategies to bypass stringent checks. Components of e-cigarettes, including batteries and cartridges, are often misrepresented as regular electronics, hidden within containers carrying legitimate consumer goods.

One of the major successes included inspections of cargo arriving from China, which resulted in the apprehension of over 52,000 complete e-cigarette sets and 100 gallons of e-liquid, totaling more than six million baht. Further inspections in postal delivery networks in Customs Region 4 uncovered an additional 52,000 illegal vaping items.

At Suvarnabhumi Airport, customs officials detained passengers returning from Tokyo, seizing e-cigarette devices and more than 165,000 vape cartridges with an estimated value exceeding 900,000 baht.

Officials expressed serious concerns regarding the rise in ethomidate smuggling, a substance reportedly mixed into vape liquids and sold illicitly under various names like “space oil” and “zombie cigarettes.” More than 28 kilograms of ethomidate sourced from India were confiscated, leading to the arrest of a local trafficking network.

The government warns that illegal vaping, laughing gas, and such hazardous substances present severe health threats to the respiratory system, heart, and brain. Importing, possession, or sale of these items remains strictly prohibited in Thailand, with violators facing rigorous legal penalties.

Authorities are calling on the public to refrain from supporting illegal vaping and cigarette activities and to report any suspicious actions to law enforcement. Anti-smuggling operations are set to persist as officials endeavor to dismantle these illicit networks and mitigate the spread of dangerous substances.

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