Ms. Thanyasran Saengthong, Executive Director of the Thai Tobacco Trade Association, revealed that cigarettes are a controlled product and cannot be sold online. However, smuggled cigarettes and counterfeit cigarettes were found to be sold in large quantities on social media such as X (Twitter), Facebook, and websites. During July - December 2023, there was a 181% increase in conversations about illegal cigarettes, making them more accessible to young people. This is a violation of the Tobacco Product Control Act B.E. 2560, which prohibits sales and advertising via electronic media, which has not been seriously enforced in the past. In addition, according to the law, the sale of illegal cigarettes is an offense. If violated, the punishment is imprisonment not exceeding five years or a fine of four times the price of the goods, including the tax, or both. The association has received information from the Excise Department that the inspection of the Wang Noi, Sri Racha, and Lak Si post offices, which are parcel sorting centers before sending them to Bangkok, found illegal cigarettes packed in boxes and sent to customers with the recipient's name in the Bangkok and surrounding areas. The origin of those parcels comes from southern provinces such as Satun, Songkhla, and Phatthalung, which are areas with the highest prevalence of illegal cigarettes in the country, ordered through online channels.”

Data from the survey of empty cigarette packs in the third quarter of 2024 indicated that Bangkok and its vicinity are areas with high growth in illegal cigarettes, with a proportion of more than 30 percent. The association has previously discussed with leading parcel delivery service providers about measures to prevent the smuggling of illegal goods, and believes that the public and private sectors should increase proactive work in 2 ways:

1. Block online channels by taking serious action, similar to the case of e-cigarettes, both social media and various websites, which requires cooperation from the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society and agencies that supervise and enforce laws prohibiting the sale and advertising of cigarettes via online channels.

2. Cut off the transportation route – When a suspicious parcel is found and it is verified that there are illegal goods inside, the company should blacklist the sender and collect information on the offenders to send to law enforcement agencies to investigate the network source. Parcel delivery companies should randomly inspect suspicious parcels at sorting centers before the parcels are distributed to recipients in the destination provinces, starting with the sorting centers that are most commonly found in the central region. Before entering the Bangkok and surrounding areas, such as Chonburi (Sri Racha), Prachin Buri, Nakhon Ratchasima, and Chanthaburi, as well as the South, such as Songkhla (Hat Yai), Surat Thani, and Nakhon Si Thammarat, etc.

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