Pattaya, Thailand – In a major operation on June 8th, 2026, police from Banglamung station, supported by district officials and the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), raided a large warehouse near Pattaya and uncovered what authorities describe as Thailand’s first known illegal domestic e-cigarette manufacturing facility, causing dozens of Myanmar workers to flee.
The raid stemmed from a routine check earlier that afternoon when officers stopped a bronze-colored Isuzu D-Max pickup truck with a sealed rear compartment and no rear license plate in Soi Nong Pla Lai. Inside the vehicle, officers discovered more than 8,000 finished e-cigarettes packed in 40 brown cardboard boxes. The driver, 32-year-old Witawat Sang-soma (also known as Golf), a resident of Surin province, was arrested and later admitted that he had just collected the vapes from a nearby warehouse.
Acting on the driver’s information, a joint team led by Pol. Col. Sarawut Nuchnarart, Chief of Banglamung Police Station, Mr. Anusak Piriyomron, District Chief of Banglamung, and Air Vice Marshal Kittikom Kongsomboon, Director of DSI’s Special Case Operation Center Region 2, surrounded a 3–4 rai (approximately 1.2–1.6 hectare) warehouse at 67/24 Moo 2 in Tambon Nong Pla Lai.
The facility, formerly used as a cannabis nursery, was heavily secured with two layers of steel gates. As officers moved in, an estimated 50 or more workers, believed to be mostly Myanmar nationals, fled from the rear of the compound, leaving the site deserted.
Upon entering the warehouse, officers were stunned to find a fully operational production line for the popular disposable vape brand “Salt Hub”, which produces 9,000-puff devices. The factory was divided into four main zones:
– A filling station for e-liquid into pods
– A packaging and sealing area
– A battery assembly section using round-cell batteries
– A large storage area holding chemical e-liquids in dozens of gallon containers in various flavors (fruit, menthol, tobacco)
Authorities seized at least 20,000 finished and semi-finished devices, over 50,000 unfinished pods, more than 200 boxes of completed products, large quantities of packaging materials, and production equipment. Many finished items were labeled “Made in China.” The total value of seized goods is estimated at no less than 100 million baht (approximately US$3 million).
Additional discoveries included worker dormitories with bunk-style accommodation, seven to eight row houses, unused machinery believed to have been imported from Laos, and 39 time-card records mostly belonging to Myanmar migrant workers. CCTV servers were also confiscated for further investigation.
Pol. Col. Sarawut said the operation began with the suspicious truck stop and quickly expanded after the driver cooperated. Forensic police from Chonburi will now process the scene and evidence.
Air Vice Marshal Kittikom described the find as unprecedented, stating it was the first time authorities had discovered a full-scale e-cigarette manufacturing base operating inside Thailand. He said the case would be expanded with assistance from the Customs Department and the Ministry of Industry to trace the origin of the chemicals and equipment, as well as to identify all parties involved.
Investigations are ongoing, with charges expected under customs, public health, and factory operation laws. Thailand has some of the strictest anti vape laws in the world and they are strictly banned.
