Thai Customs Blacklists 7 Firms, Probes Officers for E-Waste Bribes

Thai Customs probes officers over alleged e-waste smuggling bribes, blacklists firmsLegacyThailand’s Customs Department has blacklisted 7 companies suspected of smuggling electronic and hazardous waste through Laem Chabang port and is seeking an anti-corruption investigation into officers accused of accepting bribes. Customs Director-General Panthong Loykulnanta announced the measures at the port on October 26 alongside Department of Special Investigation (DSI) Chief Pol. Capt. Piya Raksakul. All future containers belonging to the blacklisted importers and freight agents will be held and fully inspected. The companies allegedly declared circuit boards, computer parts, wiring and other electronic waste as scrap iron, mixed metal or aluminium. Customs will refer their details and container numbers to the DSI, with possible asset seizure proceedings through the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) if wrongdoing is established. Photo via Thai Customs The department is also conducting an internal inquiry and asking the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) to investigate allegations that customs officers accepted bribe payments to let the shipments through. Customs recorded 198 waste-smuggling cases during the 2026 fiscal year, up 82% from the previous year. Officers seized 20.5 million kilogrammes of waste worth more than 243 million baht, four times the previous volume and the highest seizure value in five years. Working with the Basel Action Network, officials flagged 833 suspicious containers by October 22, including shipments from the United States, the Netherlands and Haiti. Of those, 447 were diverted before reaching Thailand, 89 were found in breach of regulations, and 74 remain under examination. Panthong said detecting hidden waste is difficult as X-ray scanners cannot reliably identify circuit boards concealed inside shipments of scrap metal. Photo via Thai Customs Thailand has permitted imports of scrap metal and waste paper for recycling since 2016, receiving roughly 6.4 billion kilogrammes annually. Banned waste can be mixed into these shipments, with poorly controlled processing releasing chemical residues and polluting dust. Customs is therefore proposing stricter import rules, developed with other government agencies, to ban loose and bagged scrap metal and admit only cleanly sorted scrap or recycled metal ingots. The move follows a September 21 call by Chon Buri MP Narumas Piambundit to strengthen enforcement and use asset-seizure laws against waste smugglers amid concerns about Si Racha and Laem Chabang becoming dumping grounds. The proposed restrictions still require approval from the relevant ministries. The seven companies have not been named, and no charges have been filed. The story Thai Customs probes officers over alleged e-waste smuggling bribes, blacklists firms as seen on Thaiger News.