Atchariya Ruangratanapong, a well-known crime activist, arrived at the Anti-Corruption Division in Bangkok to file a complaint regarding alleged oil smuggling. The Excise Department is currently investigating an accusation that one of its high-ranking officials tried to persuade police to release a truck carrying 15,000 liters of smuggled oil. Upon his arrival at the division, Atchariya urged the agency to widen the scope of the investigation.
Kriangkrai Pattanaporn, the deputy director-general of the Excise Department, announced that a probe committee had been established to investigate the arrest of a 47-year-old truck driver in Muang district of Prachuap Khiri Khan province. During the initial investigation, it was discovered that the truck was transporting 15,000 liters of smuggled oil and the driver was only identified as “Sombat.”
Kriangkrai Pattanaporn responded to reports stating that anti-corruption police and excise officials intercepted the truck on Phetkasem Highway in tambon Koh Lak, Prachuap Khiri Khan, while it was en route to the Central Plains on a Saturday evening. Following the arrest, it was alleged that a high-level official within the Excise Department had tried to contact the police at the scene to secure the release of the truck and its driver, but the police refused.
The deputy director-general explained that the department and the Anti-Corruption Division’s police are jointly conducting the investigation. Kriangkrai stated, “If evidence implicates a high-level executive, the department will verify it and take disciplinary action without any leniency.”
During Atchariya’s visit to the Anti-Corruption Division, he claimed that a deputy director-general was involved in an oil smuggling network and that the confiscated truck was carrying smuggled diesel from the southern border province of Songkhla to Pathum Thani province in the Central Plains. According to Atchariya, excise officials in Prachuap Khiri Khan were instructed to release the truck and its driver, but they were unable to do so since the highway police had already taken custody of the vehicle.
The crime activist stated that after the arrest, highway police requested that local excise officials only inspect the oil on the truck. Atchariya added that oil smuggling from the south occurs almost every night, raising questions regarding the whereabouts of the apprehended truck, and emphasizing the importance of expanding the investigation to expose any potential corruption within the system.
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