PATTAYA, Thailand — Cyber Crime Police have dismantled a large-scale illegal e-cigarette operation in central Pattaya, arresting a Chinese national and seizing thousands of vaping products and manufacturing equipment valued at more than 10 million baht.
The operation was carried out by the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), led by the Economic Crime Suppression Division, following intelligence that a rented house in Pattaya was being used as a production and storage site for illegal e-cigarettes, commonly known as “pod K.”
Police raided a house where they arrested Mr. Zhang, 36, a Chinese national. Inside the property, officers discovered a large cache of illegal items, including 4,945 ready-to-use e-cigarette pods, 15,000 empty pods, 18,000 coil units, 300 e-cigarette devices, and 85 gallons of e-liquid, along with production equipment. The total value of the seized items was estimated to exceed 10 million baht.
During initial questioning, the suspect claimed he was only staying at the house and had been hired by an associate to watch over the property and deliver e-cigarette products to locations specified by his employer. He told police he received a monthly wage of 40,000 baht and denied knowledge that the items were illegal or how they were manufactured. He also stated that the individual who hired him had already returned to China last week.
Police have transferred the suspect and all seized evidence to investigators at the Economic Crime Suppression Division for further legal proceedings.
Authorities said the crackdown aligns with national police policy to intensify enforcement against illegal online and offline trade, particularly involving prohibited products distributed through social media, online platforms, and tourist areas.
