Mr. Patchara Anuntasilpa, Director General of Thai Customs Department, Mr. Pongthep Buasap, acting as Principal Advisor on Customs Control Development, Mrs. Nantita Sirikup, Deputy Director General of Thai Customs Department, Mr. Tawal Rodjit, Director of Enforcement Division, Mr. Suradej Trongsirivibool, Director of Laem Chabang Port Customs Office, Mr. Prasit Deejongcharoen, Director of Customs Control Section, and Mr. Setthawut Chantrawattana, Director of X-Ray and Technology Center, together with officers of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) from Ministry of Justice, the Narcotics Suppression Bureau from the Royal Thai Police, Armed forced security center, Laem Chabang Police Station, Laem Chabang Food and Drug Administration, and Laem Chabang Plant Quarantine Station conducted a press conference to announce the seizure of white poppy seed which be controlled narcotics category 5 weighing 26,000 kilograms with an estimated value of 30 million Thai Baht. This arrested case is the largest case in past 4 years.
The inspection of the imported container revealed that the import declaration declared as “white sesame” with a weight of 26,000 kilograms and “Turkiye” as the place of origin. The officers studied related document and discovered that information on the type of good is not consistent; hence, they took samples of the products to send to academic institutions and drug verification agencies. The examination report of the Office of Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) determined that the product was “Poppy seed” containing Morphine and Codeine chemicals which were designated as controlled narcotics category 5 under Announcement of the Ministry of Public Health RE: specifying the names of controlled narcotics category 5 B.E. 2565 and the Narcotics Code B.E. 2564.
Therefore, the officers seized the exhibit for further investigation and filed an accusation that such conduct constitutes an offense for attempting to import narcotics category 5 in violation of Section 148 of the Narcotics Code B.E. 2564 and the Notification of the Ministry of Public Health Re: specifying the names of controlled narcotics category 5 B.E. 2565. Including the instance of false declared on the type of goods in Por.Kor.5 Form which is a violation of Plant quarantine act B.E. 2507 and revision, together with Sections 202 and 244 of the Customs Act B.E. 2560, in conjunction with Sections 252, prohibit the imposition of limitations or prohibitions on these items.
According to Mr. Pachara Anantasin, Director General of the Customs Department, by the Laem Chabang Port Customs Office and Enforcement Division with the intention to prevent and enforce drug smuggling by importation, exportation and transit shipment through Laem Chabang Port. The PCU Project’s Anti-Narcotics War EP.2: It Call ” Poppy seeds ” operation was operated. This seizure case was detained, examined by the Customs Office of Laem Chabang Port Customs officer and Enforcement Division who scrutinizing suspicious shipments together. As a result, the Customs officers seized and notified the relevant agencies to jointly inspect such goods at the Customs Control Section of the Laem Chabang Port Customs Office. (NNT)
