The Thai government plans to establish a committee aimed at tackling the rise in illegal cigarette sales across the country. So far, authorities have already blocked more than 9,000 websites that sell vapes.
PM’s Office Minister Jiraporn Sindhuprai led a meeting on Friday with representatives from 20 government agencies to discuss steps to limit the spread of e-cigarettes. This gathering was a follow-up to last week’s session, which focused on similar anti-vape initiatives.
During the meeting, Ms. Jiraporn outlined three main strategies: enforcing strict laws against illegal e-cigarettes, initiating preventive actions to halt their proliferation, and pursuing relevant legal changes.
She mentioned that a proposal for creating a special committee to oversee these efforts has been submitted.
The progress in closing down websites that sell e-cigarettes, e-liquids, and related products was also reviewed at the meeting.
The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society has blocked over 9,000 web pages that were illegally marketing e-cigarettes and is collaborating with businesses to block search terms linked to such products and shut down offending websites.
Logistics companies are now mandated to post explicit warnings against shipping e-cigarettes and accessories. They must also implement advanced security measures, including scanning suspicious packages and retaining sender information for a minimum of 30 days.
Ms. Jiraporn has requested that certain bodies, including the Interior Ministry, the Royal Thai Police, the Customs Department, and the Office of the Consumer Protection Board, produce weekly reports on their enforcement actions and share the outcomes with the public.
Recent data from the Royal Thai Police show that between February 26 and March 4, there were 666 cases related to vapes, resulting in 690 arrests and the seizure of 454,958 items valued at over 41 million baht.
In a separate operation, Metropolitan Police Bureau officers raided a two-story house in Nonthaburi that was being used as a storage site for e-cigarettes, confiscating over 30,000 items worth more than 3 million baht.
Two men confessed to running the storage facility for six months, supplying products to retailers around Bangkok.
Authorities have identified the Thai business owner linked to the facility and are conducting further investigations, with the two men facing charges under customs, business registration, and food and drug laws.
This operation ties back to a March 1 raid in the Bang Khae district, where officers confiscated 343,600 units of e-cigarettes and e-liquids valued at 30 million baht.
