A strong cannabis odor prompted citizens to report to police, who raided an unauthorized cannabis cultivation warehouse in the Bang Khun Thian area, seizing over 1,600 plants and arresting three Vietnamese suspects.
On 17 December 2025 GMT+7, Police Lieutenant General Sayam Boonsom, Metropolitan Police Bureau Commissioner, Police Major General Theeradej Thammasuthi, Deputy Commissioner overseeing narcotics, and Police Colonel Supachai Chaisuwan, Commander of the Metropolitan Police Division, ordered Police Lieutenant Colonel Chada Sesawet, head of the Metropolitan Police Division’s Unit 3, along with officers and officials from the Department of Thai Traditional Medicine, to jointly conduct the arrest operation.
The suspects are Nguyen Duc Anh, 28, Do Van Bay, 27, and Dang Sy Tai, 35, all Vietnamese nationals. They were caught with a total of 1,685 cannabis plants. The cannabis flower on each plant weighed approximately 100 grams, with a total weight of 168.5 kilograms. Valued at 10,000 baht per kilogram, the total value is approximately 1,685,000 baht. The arrests took place at a warehouse in Soi Bang Kradi, Samae Dam subdistrict, Bang Khun Thian district, Bangkok, on 16 December.
The operation followed a citizen complaint about a strong cannabis smell continuously emanating from a warehouse in Soi Bang Kradi, raising suspicions of illegal cannabis cultivation. Police Colonel Supachai Chaisuwan and Police Lieutenant Colonel Piyarach Wesakosol, Deputy Commander, instructed Police Lieutenant Colonel Chada Sesawet and Unit 3 officers to investigate and gather evidence. A search warrant was obtained from Thonburi Provincial Court (No. 52/2568) dated 16 December 2025 GMT+7. During the search, three Vietnamese men were found at the site.
During interrogation, the suspects admitted to cultivating cannabis plants inside the warehouse. They had established a company to conduct cannabis-related business but had not obtained the required licenses. Police arrested them and charged them with jointly violating Section 46 of the Act on the Protection and Promotion of Traditional Thai Medicine Knowledge B.E. 2542 (1999), for unauthorized research, export, sale, or processing of controlled herbal substances for commerce. The three suspects and the seized evidence were handed over to Samae Dam Police Station investigators to proceed with legal action.