Thailand’s deputy national police chief led police from four Chonburi stations in a raid of a Khao Maikaew warehouse storing illegal electronic waste.
Gen. Weerachai Songmetta joined officers from Pattaya, Huay Yai, Khao Maikaew and Bo Win in the June 26 operation against the Ratchanon Kong Khao facility off Highway 331 where steel dust and scrap was being loaded into trailers to be towed away.
Owners Sudawadee Pleuhmak and Sitipan Srisomboon tried to avoid arrest by dropping a pile of documents and supposed permits on the officers, but none gave them permission to hold hazardous electronic waste.
They now face charges that could put them behind bars for two years and pay up to 200,000 baht in fines.
Authorities seized four containers of waste from the property and discovered seven trucks waiting on Highway 331 with 14 more containers of the same waste destined for the warehouse. The drivers tried to flee, but were rounded up by the police.
Weerachai thanked nearby residents for reporting the illegal operation, as it could cause harm to both people and the environment. Authorities now are investigating the source of the scrap, tracing much of it back to Bangkok’s port and industrial district of Khlong Toei.
