Chiang Mai: The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) has initiated Operation 'Illegal Pork, Not Lam' to locate 15 containers of unlawfully imported pork. This move follows the discovery of fraudulent declarations aimed at evading taxes exceeding 100 million baht. The pork is suspected to be hidden in a cold storage facility in Chiang Mai Province, with investigations revealing financial links between involved parties. According to Thai News Agency, the operation is spearheaded by Pol. Maj. Col. Nattapon Disayatham, an expert in consumer and environmental protection. The DSI's team conducted searches across four cold storage companies situated in the San Sai and Saraphi districts of Chiang Mai. The primary objective is to uncover the 15 containers of illegal pork reportedly stored at these locations. As of now, authorities are meticulously examining the pork and reviewing import documentation at each of the sites. This enforcement action is a continuation of last year's crackdown when the DSI targeted a suspect linked to a shipping company that allegedly imported over 200 containers of pork, totaling 25,000 kilograms, by falsely declaring it as fish to circumvent tax obligations. The suspect claimed the pork was stored in a cold facility in Samut Sakhon Province; however, inspections revealed no pork at the location, with the cold storage firm denying receipt of such goods. Further scrutiny of the original shipment at Laem Chabang Port unveiled that 15 containers had been rerouted to the North, implicating a tax and fine evasion amounting to more than 127 million baht. Additionally, a financial probe disclosed that 24 million baht was transferred between the company responsible for the false declarations and the cold storage entity. Recent developments from DSI officials indicate that the illegal pork has already been distributed to the market. Current inspections have unveiled documents connecting the company to operations in Chiang Mai, where the pork is processed before being dispatched to the central re gion for sale. The involved company is presently required to provide factual clarifications while investigators delve deeper into the origins of the fraudulently declared pork to gather further evidence.
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