Deputy Government Spokesperson reveals the ongoing push to intercept illicit cigarettes along the southern border, with seizures of over 2.2 million sticks and estimated fines of more than 100 million baht.
Today (16 Aug.), Ms. Ploythale Laksamisaengchan, Deputy Spokesperson of the Office of the Prime Minister, disclosed that the government places continuous importance on the prevention and suppression of illegal goods, and has ordered a tightening of investigations, surveillance, and crackdowns on the smuggling and sale of tax-evading products, while proactively taking action and strictly enforcing the law, in accordance with the directives of Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Anutin Charnvirakul.
Ms. Ploythale stated that, particularly in the southern border provinces, illegal cigarette smuggling has been found to cause significant harm to the economic system, state revenues, and fair trade. Through strict implementation of government policy, driving proactive suppression measures, and integrating the collaborative efforts of security and administrative agencies — encompassing intelligence, information, and operations — to improve the efficiency of intercepting smuggling networks from origin to destination across 14 southern provinces, authorities have been able to arrest suspects along with seized evidence comprising foreign cigarettes on which excise tax had not been paid, totalling 117,820 packs, or 2,289,000 sticks, equivalent to excise tax of 7,095,966 baht, and an estimated fine of 106,439,490 baht, on charges of possessing tax-unpaid goods for sale. Officers have already transferred the suspects and seized evidence to investigators for further legal proceedings.
"The government emphasizes the need to drive proactive suppression measures through the genuine and continuous integration of efforts among relevant agencies, so that smuggling networks are prevented from using high-risk areas along the southern border as transport routes and as staging points for distributing goods into the country. The government will continue to elevate its suppression efforts to intercept illegal smuggling and distribution networks from origin to destination, to create fairness in the tax system, protect the public from illegal goods, and fully safeguard the interests of the state," Ms. Ploythale said.
