Young couple arrested as police seize 216,000 smuggled cigarettes in Phuket
Police in Phuket arrested a young couple and seized 10,800 packs of smuggled cigarettes, or 216,000 cigarettes, after acting on a tip-off in tambon Vichit.
A young Thai couple were arrested in Phuket after police seized 216,000 smuggled cigarettes from their possession and rented room, according to Vichit police.
Police said Somnuek, 27, and Sophis, 28, were first found with a rucksack containing 120 packs of smuggled cigarettes outside a block of flats on Chao Fah Tawan Tok Road in tambon Vichit of Muang district on Saturday night. Officers were acting on information from an eyewitness informant.
After detaining the pair, police searched their rented room and found 10,680 additional packs of contraband cigarettes stored in cardboard boxes. In total, officers seized 10,800 packs containing 216,000 cigarettes.
The arrests took place in the southern tourist island province of Phuket. Police said the couple allegedly confessed to smuggling the cigarettes into Thailand.
The case centered on the possession and sale of illegal tobacco products, with the largest share of the seized cigarettes found inside the suspects' room. A photo released with the report showed police with the couple and the confiscated cigarettes.
The Bangkok Post report cited Vichit police station as saying the operation followed a tip-off from a witness and led to the seizure of what the article described as about 200,000 smuggled cigarettes. The total later given by police was 216,000 cigarettes.
