Authorities Seize 4.4 Million Smuggled Cigarettes at Cambodian Border

On October 28, 2026, at the Ban Nong Ian border checkpoint in Aranyaprathet district, Sa Kaeo province, Aranyaprathet Customs officers joined forces with the Eastern Forces, the Khlong Had Special Task Force, paramilitary rangers, volunteer defense corps, and other agencies to announce a major seizure of illegal foreign cigarettes along the Thai-Cambodian border.

At approximately 1:30 a.m., Khlong Had Special Task Force officers, together with customs investigation and suppression units, were patrolling the border area in Khlong Had district after receiving a tip that a group of five to ten individuals was moving suspicious goods, believed to be smuggled into the kingdom. During the operation, officers spotted the group, but upon realizing they had been detected, the suspects abandoned the goods and fled back across the border into Cambodia.

A search of the area revealed dozens of cardboard boxes packed inside plastic sacks, some concealed in dense forest. Customs officers were called in to count and inspect the contraband, which turned out to be foreign-origin cigarettes that had not cleared customs procedures — approximately 4.4 million packs with an estimated value exceeding 22 million baht.

Preliminary findings indicate the smuggling attempt violates Section 242 of the Customs Act B.E. 2560. Officials have seized the goods and handed them over to Aranyaprathet Customs for legal proceedings, while expanding the investigation to trace the supply chain.

This operation reflects the integrated efforts of security and law-enforcement agencies to intercept and suppress illegal cross-border smuggling along the Thai-Cambodian frontier. Authorities pledged to continue prevention and suppression operations to protect national interests.