Thai tobacco group urges online crackdown as illegal cigarette sales surge

Thailand’s tobacco trade association on May 14 warned that illegal cigarette sales online are expanding rapidly, with Phuket named among the location hashtags used to boost reach and buyer confidence. The group said social media and parcel delivery channels have become key distribution routes even as Customs and Excise enforcement has intensified since the start of the year.

The association’s analysis of online conversations from October to December 2025 found 1,240 posts tied to illegal cigarette trading over three months. Facebook Groups led with 1,096 posts, ahead of X with 753, while related listings also appeared on personal accounts, pages and Facebook Marketplace.

Facebook groups drive sales and trust-building tactics

The study found a clear shift from open platforms to closed communities. Conversations were led by X in October, then moved increasingly into Facebook Groups by December, where engagement was also highest and sales ranged from single packs to full cartons.

Sellers pushed carton purchases more heavily than single-pack sales. The most cited price range was 200-299 baht per carton, promoted with claims of varied flavors and “foreign cigarette” branding to suggest better value.

The association said trust-building has become central to the trade. Sellers used cash on delivery, invitations to closed groups, stockpile photos and warehouse images, then steered buyers into private contact channels such as LINE.

It also flagged hashtags for Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Songkhla’s Hat Yai, along with university tags, as a tactic to widen visibility and speed transactions. Customs said on May 6 that illegal cigarette sales were increasingly being shipped directly to consumers online and that X-ray screening had been added at parcel sorting centers.

Source: https://www.dailynews.co.th/news/5860884/