Livestock officials and consumer protection police intercepted two 22-wheel trailer trucks carrying more than 26 tonnes of chicken meat using forged transport permits at a checkpoint in Cha-am district in Phetchaburi province, leading to further raids on illegal processing facilities in Pathum Thani province.
The operation was directed on Wednesday by the Phra Phirun Center for Agricultural and Food Security Protection, coordinating the Phaya Tai special task force, the Department of Livestock Development, and the Consumer Protection Police Division (CPPD).
Officers acting on a tip-off set up a roadblock on Phetkasem Road at the Phetchaburi Animal Quarantine Station in Cha-am district to intercept the two heavy trucks traveling from Thanyaburi district, Pathum Thani province, toward a cold storage facility in Singhanakhon district, Songkhla province.
During the inspection, the drivers presented forged R.3 animal carcass transport permits. A search revealed 2,167 cardboard boxes containing 26,004 kilogrammes of chicken breast meat.
Authorities impounded the entire cargo, collected samples for disease testing, and initiated legal proceedings.
Following the initial seizure, officers expanded their investigation to an unregistered warehouse and processing facility in Thanyaburi district, Pathum Thani, suspected of illegally processing untraceable poultry parts for export.
Investigators searched two 25-tonne refrigerated shipping containers and an adjacent processing facility, seizing an additional 726 kilogrammes of unverified chicken parts along with processing equipment.
Pathum Thani is currently designated a surveillance zone for avian influenza (bird flu), making unauthorised movement of poultry products illegal under Section 22 of the Animal Epidemics Act B.E. 2558 (2015). Violators face up to two years in prison, a fine of up to 40,000 baht, or both.
The truck drivers and operators face charges under the Animal Epidemics Act for unauthorised transport of carcasses across province boundaries and through disease surveillance zones, as well as Criminal Code charges for forgery and the use of forged public documents, which carry penalties of up to three years' imprisonment and fines up to 60,000 baht.
