693 arrested in crackdown on e-cigarettes, laughing gas
Weeklong nationwide police operation nets confiscation of e-cigarettes with a street value of more than 41 million baht
A total of 693 suspects were arrested during the police’s nationwide crackdown on e-cigarettes and laughing gas from February 26 to March 4, with confiscated items valued at over 42 million baht, the Royal Thai Police announced.
During a press conference on Thursday, deputy police chief Pol Gen Prachuap Wongsuk summarised the operations of police units nationwide to rid the streets of e-cigarettes, which are illegal in Thailand, and laughing gas.
A common name for nitrous oxide, laughing gas is a chemical compound used in medicine for its anaesthetic and analgesic effects but is often illegally misused to induce euphoria and hallucinations.
Prachuab said officials made the arrests in 669 cases with 693 suspects during the seven-day operation.
A total of 454,958 e-cigarettes were confiscated, with an estimated street value of 41.91 million baht.
Officers also confiscated 2,334 tubes of laughing gas, with an estimated value of 100,000 baht.
Prachuab added that of the arrested suspects, three were considered major distributors and 669 were minor dealers, 12 were arrested at tourist attractions, six were arrested near schools, and three were arrested selling laughing gas.
