Highway police arrest truck driver as they smash avocado smuggling ring
Highway police arrested a truck driver as they smashed a cross-border avocado smuggling ring in northeast Thailand.
Officers blocked a tarpaulin-covered Isuzu truck at a checkpoint in Buriram for inspections when they discovered more than 6.5 tonnes of undeclared avocados packed in plastic crates, on Wednesday evening.
Police said the truck was seen travelling from Sa Kaeo province, bordering Cambodia, towards Buriram.
They arrested the 43-year-old driver, identified only as Metha, who claimed he had collected the fresh produce from a warehouse in the Khok Sung district.
When they asked for customs paperwork and plant quarantine certificates, the driver allegedly failed to produce any documents.
He was charged with possessing and transporting goods that entered Thailand without passing through customs, and importing prohibited agricultural products in violation of the Plant Quarantine Act.
Authorities believe the fruit had been smuggled across the Cambodian border before being distributed to markets in Nakhon Ratchasima province.
During questioning, Metha reportedly admitted he had been hired by a man known only as 'Nath' to transport the cargo.
He claimed it was his first trip and that he was paid 5,000 baht, including wages and fuel. He also allegedly said he did not know exactly what he was carrying.
Metha and the seized shipment were handed over to investigators at the Non Din Daeng Police Station as officers continue investigating the alleged smuggling ring.
