Phuket reports 79% increase in illegal cigarette seizures

Authorities in Phuket reported a 79% increase in the quantity of illegal cigarettes and related items seized from October 2025 to August 2026, as officials warned that traders were adapting their distribution methods.

The figures were presented at a meeting chaired by Phuket Governor Chotinarin Kerdsom at Customs Office Region 5 in Phuket on 15 September 2026. The meeting reviewed efforts to combat the illegal tobacco trade and was attended by Teeralak Saengsanit, chairman of the board and deputy permanent secretary of the Ministry of Finance, who also chairs the Thailand Tobacco Authority.

Authorities recorded 151 illegal-cigarette cases involving 25,973 seized items during the latest reporting period, compared with 137 cases and 14,484 seized items in 2025. The quantity seized rose by 79%.

Officials said illegal traders were establishing small sales points, keeping limited quantities in shops and using parcel-delivery services to distribute contraband instead of relying on conventional storefronts. Repeat offenders remained a concern, prompting discussion of closer monitoring and stronger coordination between agencies.

Separate enforcement operations conducted from 15 October 2025 to 30 August 2026 resulted in 39 cases. Thirty-eight people were arrested and charges were filed against one other person. The operations seized 457,360 cigarettes, equivalent to 22,868 packs, as well as 397 e-cigarettes and B68,515 in cash. Authorities valued the seized goods and cash at more than B2.425 million.

Enforcement involving e-cigarettes and conventional cigarettes also increased during Fiscal Year 2026, with 40 cases compared with 23 in Fiscal Year 2025. The 17-case increase amounted to 73.9%. Thirty of the cases involved e-cigarettes and 10 involved conventional cigarettes.

Excise officials separately processed 186 tobacco-related cases under excise tax laws between October 2025 and August 2026, exceeding the annual target of 77 cases by 141.56%. Fines totalled B8.326 million, with B5.026 million remitted to the Treasury, and 12,161 packs of contraband were seized.

A further 11 cases were referred for prosecution, including cases in which no suspect was present. Those cases involved estimated fines of B6.134 million and the seizure of 9,418 packs.

Customs Office Region 5 reported 17 cases involving smuggled cigarettes during Fiscal Year 2026. Officers seized 418,160 cigarettes valued at about B1.69 million. Another 10 cases involved e-cigarettes and related accessories, with 1,724 items valued at about B690,000 seized. Three cases involved baraku, or hookah tobacco, totalling 29 kilogrammes and valued at B45,088.

The Thailand Tobacco Authority is supporting enforcement agencies by providing information and identifying targets, including monitoring 19 shops in Phuket and tracking cigarette distribution through parcel-delivery services. The authority also joins law-enforcement agencies in field observations, although it does not have direct powers to arrest suspects under the Thailand Tobacco Authority Act 2018.

The meeting called for closer cooperation between Customs, Excise, provincial authorities, police, Cyber Police, the Office of the Consumer Protection Board and the Central Investigation Bureau. The agencies are to exchange information, track smuggling and distribution routes, inspect sales outlets and target major dealers and repeat offenders.

Despite the reported expansion of the illegal market, tobacco tax revenue collected by the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organisation has increased in recent years. Revenue was B35.7 million in 2021, B25.8 million in 2022, B33.6 million in 2023, B36.9 million in 2024 and B42.8 million in 2025. Revenue from October 2025 to August 2026 reached B43.2 million, already exceeding B40 million.

Officials concluded the meeting by calling for continued joint enforcement to disrupt the illegal tobacco trade from source to destination, citing concerns about access to e-cigarettes and illicit tobacco products among children and young people.