Two suspects from a crime syndicate known for smuggling fuel from Malaysia to resell it in the South were arrested in Hat Yai, according to the Royal Thai Police's (RTP) Fuel Crime Suppression Centre.
The two suspects, identified as Nee Usman and Eeb Madyusoh, were members of the syndicate known as "Jae Fang", who allegedly smuggled petrol from Malaysia to resell it in the southern provinces, mostly in Songkhla, Satun and Narathiwat, deputy national police chief Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn said on Thursday in his capacity as the Fuel Crime Suppression Centre's acting director.
The suspects were caught transferring the petrol from modified lorries to pickup trucks at a warehouse in Hat Yai district's tambon Thung Lung, 30 kilometres from the immigration checkpoint. Two Toyota pickup trucks containing at least 2,000 litres of diesel were seized.
According to Pol Gen Surachate, the Jae Fang syndicate has run an illegal petrol business for at least ten years. It normally sells smuggled petrol on boats in the Gulf and the Andaman Sea and on land using modified lorries that have large oil tanks, with each vehicle capable of storing up to 1,000 litres.
The lorries entered Malaysia at least ten times a day, after which the modified tanks were refuelled, and the vehicles crossed the border.
The smuggled petrol was stored in the gang's warehouse, where the two suspects were caught, before being transferred to the trucks parked by a forest in tambon Tha Phong.
According to Pol Gen Surachate, more than 100,000 litres of smuggled petrol from neighbouring countries is seized every month, but much more is thought to get through, causing the state huge losses as it is untaxed.
Meanwhile, Pol Lt Gen Itthipol Itthisaranachai, commissioner of Provincial Police Region 2, issued a transfer order for Pol Col Supoj Rakkarn, the superintendent of Trat provincial police station, on Thursday for allegedly accepting bribes to facilitate the illegal export of motorcycles. It came after a raid on an export syndicate in Khlong Yai district's tambon Mai Rood on Feb 28.
Seven suspects were caught while transferring six motorbikes onto a boat for their clients in Cambodia and were later charged. Four were officers at Khlong Yai police station.
Pol Col Damrong Eiampairoj, the superintendent of Aranyaprathet police station, will now take over the same role at Trat provincial police station.
