Chachoengsao: Shocked! A fresh sugar factory was opened as a front, but secretly boiled kratom water, mixed with syrup and preservatives, and sold it. Equipment was lined up with more than 40 stoves. Chachoengsao Provincial Police Investigation Unit, together with the provincial industry, inspected a large warehouse approximately 2 rai in Ban Pho District, Chachoengsao Province after receiving information that fresh sugar was being produced as a front for secretly boiling kratom water to be sold in the area and neighboring provinces.
According to Thai News Agency, outside the warehouse, there were large tanks of kratom juice and fresh sugar, waiting to be sent to be sold at various locations. Inside, 10 Cambodian workers and 5 Burmese workers were found. Some ran away. During the arrest, 43 sets of boiling pots, gas stoves, many gas tanks, fresh kratom leaves, kratom juice that had been boiled and prepared to be packaged in plastic bottles, various colored lids, syrup, and preservatives that were added during boiling were found. Mr. Khwanchai, 38, admitted to being the owner. He opened the warehouse to produce fresh sugar and longan juice as a front for selling, but he secretly also produced kratom juice. It was found that the foreign workers had valid labor permits but were working in the wrong category.
Initially, Mr. Khwanchai was charged with 'prohibiting the production, prohibiting the sale, or prohibiting the import (kratom leaf water) without permission, which is a violation of the Food Act of 1979, according to the announcement of the Ministry of Public Health, punishable by imprisonment of 6 months to 2 years and a fine of 5,000-20,000 baht. The police seized production equipment and some raw materials.