The intriguing tale of a colossal pork-smuggling operation unraveled as Pol Maj Gen Nathapol Ditsayatham and his committed DSI team raided two icy repositories in Nakhon Pathom this past December—a moment immortalized on the Department of Special Investigation’s Facebook page. They stood amidst frozen towers of illicit pork, the chilly air hanging thick with the anticipation of unraveling a case that could only be described as a thick-cut saga.
Beneath the shroud of sub-zero temperatures and amidst the frost-covered evidence, an arrest warrant loomed over four individuals, including a half-sibling of a notable name in the political arena. The Criminal Court, armed with the DSI’s meticulous legwork, sanctioned the warrants on counts of skirting tax laws, flouting Customs Act regulations, laundering money, among other offenses.
With Thursday dawn breaking, DSI officers embarked on a calculated siege of five spots peppered across Bangkok. Their objective: to pinch the evidence and seize the threads of this cold conspiracy. They hit private maritime companies and bone-chilling cold storage facilities, said Pol Maj Gen Nathapol, the lead hound on the pork-smuggling trail.
A confidante spilled the beans, naming the suspects entangled in this meaty mess: Li Shengjiao, hailed as “Hia Kao” (Brother Kao), his son Karin Piyapornpaiboon, financial overseer Nawaporn Chaowai, and one Yang Ya Sung. The patriarch of the group, Mr. Li, not only had familial ties to a recognized politician and chaired a trade board, but hovered at the epicenter of this billion-baht business.
The probe pierced deeper, with the DSI grilling four important witnesses. Their testimonies shed light on the smuggling of over 10,000 container loads of pork with a hefty price tag of around 6-7 billion baht. Warrants in hand, the agents hunted down evidence at a company and Mr. Li’s abode along Somdet Prachao Taksin Road in Thon Buri, narrated Pol Capt Charnnarong Thapsarn of the DSI’s special ops.
Mr. Li’s better half swung their doors open to the law, who sifted through and scooped up papers and evidence that might just piece this puzzle together. Meanwhile, our key suspect had apparently quit Thailand as of December 30, as per a well-placed informer.
The raid bore more than just documents. It unearthed photos—a visual chronicle of Mr. Li rubbing shoulders with the higher-ups of various factions: government bodies, police bigwigs, politicians, and even ex-cabinet members. In one, he brandished an award from the Metropolitan Police Division 9—a gesture of gratitude for bankrolling their meeting room’s makeover back in ’21.
This crime saga isn’t just about the law; it’s touching pockets too. Pig farmers, once thriving, now grapple with a market left in tatters due to the smuggling operation that flooded it. Beginning in 2022, with a vicious African swine fever outbreak, some turned to the black market to satisfy the soaring demand, tipping the scales of supply and demand into disarray.
The plot thickened mid-year when a staggering 161 shipping containers crammed with 4,025 tonnes of pork were confiscated at Laem Chabang Port, laying bare the magnitude of this swine-centered syndicate. Swiftly, the DSI swooped in to investigate.
Agriculture ministry mavens are piecing together the pork puzzle, hypothesizing the shipments left shores of Brazilian supermarkets and various European countries. There, strict regulations condemn frozen meat to destruction after a year. Instead, these ‘expired’ goods boarded a one-way trip to developing nations, like Thailand, navigating murky waters to dodge their doomed fate.
Be First to Comment