The Deputy Government Spokesperson revealed that the government is actively cracking down on the illegal importation of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, laughing gas, and the chemical etomidate. From October 2025 to May 2026, officials have seized contraband worth more than 409 million baht.
On 7 May 2026, Ms. Ploytale Laksameesangchan, Deputy Spokesperson of the Office of the Prime Minister, stated that under the directive of Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, there is a strict enforcement policy against illegal activities. The government emphasizes integrated cooperation among all relevant agencies to take proactive and continuous action to strictly suppress illegal acts. In fiscal year 2026 (October 2025 to May 2026), the government coordinated efforts between the Customs Department, Ministry of Finance, Central Investigation Bureau, and Royal Thai Police to systematically intercept networks smuggling cigarettes, e-cigarettes, nitrous oxide (laughing gas), and etomidate. They covered the entire chain from origin to endpoint, seizing 49,064,878 cigarettes worth over 225 million baht, 548,577 e-cigarette devices and accessories valued over 71 million baht, 140,200 nitrous oxide canisters worth more than 95 million baht, and 28 kilograms of etomidate valued at over 18 million baht.
Ms. Ploytale added that in-depth investigations revealed offenders have changed their smuggling methods to evade tighter inspections. For e-cigarettes, they disassemble components such as devices, batteries, and liquids, falsely declaring them as general electronic goods, and conceal them within consumer goods containers. In April 2026, Customs inspected import declarations originating from China, discovering undeclared complete e-cigarette kits totaling 52,000 pieces and 100 gallons of e-liquid valued over 6 million baht. Postal parcel inspections at Customs Region 4 seized 52,742 e-cigarette items worth over 15 million baht. Additionally, Customs at Suvarnabhumi Airport arrested a Thai passenger arriving from Tokyo, Japan, carrying 21 e-cigarette devices and 165,600 e-cigarette sticks valued at about 900,000 baht.
Regarding illegal cigarettes, authorities noted a shift toward online marketing and increased use of express postal delivery. In the past two months, over 4,000 suspicious parcels suspected of containing smuggled foreign cigarettes originating from southern provinces have been seized. Moreover, Customs Region 4 confiscated 14,028 cartons (2,805,520 sticks) of foreign cigarettes lacking proper tax stamps or legal import documentation, valued at more than 13 million baht.
Another concerning issue affecting social security is the smuggling of etomidate. Officials seized over 28 kilograms originating from India and expanded investigations to arrest a Thai network mixing etomidate into e-cigarette liquids, known in the black market as 'space oil' or 'zombie cigarettes.' This new dangerous narcotic is spreading among the public. Meanwhile, laughing gas packaging has been reduced to smaller canisters. From January to April 2026, authorities seized 135,936 nitrous oxide canisters (Happy Gas) with a total value exceeding 24 million baht.
“The government reminds the public to be aware of the dangers and legal issues related to cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and laughing gas, which contain harmful chemicals, especially etomidate that affects the respiratory system, heart, and brain. E-cigarettes are strictly prohibited from import, possession, or sale, and violators face legal penalties. The government calls on citizens to avoid using or supporting these products and to help monitor and report any illegal importation or sales to the relevant authorities for legal action,” Ms. Ploytale stated.