National—
At 10:30 AM, on November 24th, 2023, Pol. Maj. Gen. Prutthiphong Nuchanart, the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Army, and relevant officials held a press conference on raiding a diesel smuggling network of more than 23 million liters within the territorial seas of Thailand.
Pol. Maj. Gen. Prutthiphong publicly revealed after receiving a report from an anonymous source that there was illegal fuel smuggling without permission from customs officials taking place in the territory of the Gulf of Thailand. The crime suppression officers then performed a field inspection and found a connection to a large network.
According to the report from the Thai crime suppression officers, within two years, there were 23 million liters of illegal diesel confiscated and more than ten suspects were captured. It was reported that the penalty rate is as high as 2.7 billion baht.
Initially, most of the suspects reportedly confessed their wrongdoings and some of them denied the accusation, said the police officers.
The police pledged to further investigate the case to hold involved individuals accountable for their crimes as it causes damage to the nation and affects other fishermen.
