RAYONG: A pollution control task force seized at least 2,500 tonnes of electronic waste and scrap during a warehouse search in Rayong on Friday (October 16), as authorities investigated suspected illegal imports and factory operations without the required licences.
The operation targeted 10 buildings at a company’s warehouse complex in Moo 1, Nikhom Phatthana subdistrict, in Rayong’s Nikhom Phatthana district. Officials also impounded machinery and collected samples for further analysis.
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suchart Chomklin ordered the Pollution Control Department (PCD) task force to work with provincial authorities and other agencies after information circulating on social media raised suspicions that illegally imported electronic waste was being stored at the site.
The task force sought a search warrant from Rayong Provincial Court to inspect the 10 remaining buildings following earlier checks at the complex.
Task force chief Pol Lt Gen Itthiporn Pothong and deputy chief Dr Chamlong Chuayrod led the October 16 operation alongside PCD officials and other agencies. Both task force leaders advise the natural resources and environment minister.
Inside the warehouses, officers found machinery for shredding, sorting, metal extraction, and smelting, along with discarded metal components, electrical equipment, and shredded electronic waste.
PCD officials collected 14 samples of discarded material, one soil-sediment sample and one water sample for further testing. All waste materials and machinery were impounded as evidence.
The PCD coordinated with the Rayong Provincial Industry Office to file a complaint with Nikhom Phatthana police about the alleged establishment and operation of factories without permission, as well as possession of hazardous substances without a licence.
Checks covering the complex’s 15 warehouse buildings on October 12 identified six buildings classified under factory categories 105 and 106. The inspection findings said the remaining nine had no factory operating licences.
In five buildings, officers found shredding and sorting machinery alongside mixed piles of waste wire, copper and aluminium. The materials were stored on concrete floors and in cardboard boxes and bulk bags, occupying at least 3,000 cubic metres.
Officials screened 14 material samples using a portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyser. Preliminary results indicated the material could qualify as Type 3 hazardous substances under List 5.2, which covers chemical wastes, in the Industry Ministry’s 2013 notification on hazardous substances.
Officers also collected samples of water being discharged into the environment for further examination.
On October 14, the Rayong Provincial Industry Office impounded the materials and other items in those five buildings under the Factory Act 1992.
Suchart said officials would accelerate fact-finding, rigorously enforce the law, and extend the investigation to everyone involved.
If investigators established links to transnational criminal networks, Suchart said they would refer the case to the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) and the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) to trace the networks and those responsible at every level.
Suchart said the action was intended to prevent the illegal importation and handling of electronic waste, which could damage the environment and affect public health. - The Nation/ANN
