Photos courtesy of Bangkok Post
Police in Nonthaburi recently confiscated numerous pirated products worth a total of about 20 million baht.
Read the following story from the Bangkok Post to learn more about this police operation.
Police seized more than 10,000 contraband items worth a total of 20 million baht in Nonthaburi province on January 12. National deputy police chief Ruangsak Jarit-ek announced the raid on smuggled counterfeit goods at the Economic Crime Suppression Division.
DODGY DELIVERY
The articles, including fake luxury handbags, cosmetics, clothes, shoes, mobile phone accessories and IT gadgets, were confiscated on January 12 from a lorry with a Nakhon Phanom licence plate on Kanchanaphisek Road in Bang Kruai district. Police also arrested Paisan Olankitti, the driver of the lorry.
FAKE GOODS
Among the counterfeit goods were forgeries of high-end brands such as Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Christian Dior, MAC and Adidas.
Ruangsak said police had received intelligence that the contraband goods were smuggled from Laos to Thailand through the border in Mukdahan province. The goods were destined for a warehouse in Nonthaburi, he said.
ILLEGAL IMPORTS
The fake products were imported by Gala View International Company in Thailand from an unidentified supplier in Guangzhou, China. They were to be distributed to more than 40 retailers in Bangkok’s Sampeng, Pratunam and Patpong markets, as well as to tourist destinations in other provinces, police said.
Details of the items did not match an import entry document presented to the Customs Department. Police said that charges will be pressed against offenders for violating Customs and Trademark Acts.
Exercises
Read the story. Then, decide whether the following statements are true or false.
1. Gala View International Company is a supply company based in Guangzhou, China.
……………….
2. According to the story, more than 100,000 contraband items were seized.
……………….
3. The illegal goods were confiscated on January 12.
……………….
4. The fake products were worth about 20 million baht in total.
……………….
Vocabulary
- contraband (n): goods that are illegally taken into or out of a country
counterfeit (adj): made to look exactly like something in order to trick people into thinking that they are getting the real thing
gadget (n): a small tool or device that does something useful
intelligence (n): secret information that is collected about a foreign country, a criminal network, etc.
