PATTAYA — Thai police arrested a Chinese national during a raid on a rented house in the seaside city of Pattaya, uncovering what authorities described as a large-scale illegal e-cigarette operation with products valued at more than 10 million baht ($318,000) and a suspicious white powder believed to be a possible anesthetic.
Officers from the Economic Crime Division conducted the raid Saturday after receiving intelligence that e-cigarettes and vape pods were being sold in bulk from the house to middlemen, with distribution reaching both Thai and foreign tourists, including through online channels. Surveillance showed frequent visits by pickup trucks, prompting police to obtain a search warrant from the Pattaya Provincial Court.
The suspect, identified as Zhang, 36, was arrested at the property in Nong Prue subdistrict, Bang Lamung district, Chonburi province.
Inside the house, police seized nearly 5,000 ready-to-use vape pods, about 15,000 empty cartridges, 18,000 vape coils, 300 e-cigarette devices and roughly 85 gallons of vaping liquid. Authorities also found 11 bags of white cloudy and clear powder weighing more than 3.8 kilograms.
Evidence seized by Thai police are displayed following a raid on a rented house in Pattaya, Chonburi province, Thailand, on Dec. 20, 2025.Equipment used for manufacturing and packaging was also confiscated, including tens of thousands of vape caps, packaging materials, vacuum sealers, heating machines, digital scales, beakers, tubing and chemical solvents.
Zhang told investigators he was hired by a Chinese acquaintance to watch over the house and deliver e-cigarettes as instructed, earning 40,000 baht ($1,270) per month. He said he was unaware the products were illegal and claimed no knowledge of their production. He added that the person who hired him had returned to China about a week earlier.
Police charged Zhang with assisting in the concealment, sale or transport of goods that should have been known to have bypassed customs procedures, and with operating a business without complying with safety regulations.
Thai police arrest a Chinese man at a rented house during a raid on an illegal e-cigarette operation in Pattaya, Chonburi province, Thailand, on Dec. 20, 2025.Pol. Lt. Gen. Thatsapoomi Jaruprat, commander of the Economic Crime Division, said the seized powder has been sent for forensic testing to determine whether it contains etomidate, a medical anesthetic used to induce temporary unconsciousness.
He warned that if such substances are mixed into e-cigarettes, they pose serious health risks, including respiratory depression, heart rhythm disorders and severe psychological effects.
Authorities said the investigation is continuing as they work to identify and locate the suspected ringleader of the operation, who is believed to have fled abroad.
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