Authorities launched a coordinated raid on a warehouse in Pattani Province, discovering a large amount of illegal cigarettes and 18 million baht in cash hidden in cardboard boxes, totaling losses of over 100 million baht.
At 12:30 on 13 Aug 2026, Colonel Theeraphat Emphan, Director of the Task Force for Controlling and Solving New Threats and Suppressing Complications in 14 Southern Provinces, along with Mr. Chaiporn Niyomkaew, Deputy Governor of Pattani, Mr. Mayuso Gute, District Chief of Yarang, Pattani Excise officials, Yarang Police, and related agencies, led a team to raid a warehouse in Village 5, Pitumudi Subdistrict, Yarang District, Pattani. This action followed intelligence on illegal goods smuggling activities. Officials had been monitoring and collecting evidence before moving to inspect the target site.
The search revealed numerous goods stored and arranged inside. Upon detailed inspection, they found a large quantity of illegal cigarettes, which were seized as evidence. Officers then inspected a house about 100 meters from the warehouse and encountered 51-year-old Msata, the homeowner. At the garage area, they found more illegal cigarettes and 18 million baht in cash hidden inside cardboard boxes. Additionally, three 9mm pistols were found, all legally owned. Authorities collected all cigarettes and cash, documented evidence, and transferred the case to Yarang Police for legal action. They are also preparing to extend the investigation to others involved, including smuggling routes and the distribution endpoints for this cigarette shipment.
This operation represents a major seizure in Yarang District, with a total confiscation of 117,560 packs or 2,452,680 sticks of illegal cigarettes, amounting to damages of 105,479,415 baht.