Over 4 tonnes of smuggled beef confiscated

NONG KHAI, Feb 28 (TNA) -- A pickup truck smuggling around 3,800 kg of beef from Mukdahan province heading to Nong Khai was interrupted by local customs authorities earlier this morning. Head of the Nong Khai Customs Office Nimit Saengamphai said the arrest of Tiluck Maekhuntod, 36, from Chaiyaphum, along with boxes of smuggled beef from abroad weighing around 3,800 kg. The suspect was driving a pickup truck with a license plate from Bangkok, along the Nittayo road, between Nong Han district and Udon Thani province, when he spotted and stopped by authorities this early morning. Authorities said the street value of the beef without tax and fines stood at around 1.6 million baht. The suspect, Tiluck, has been charged with smuggling of goods with the intention of tax evasion and was later delivered into the custody of the Nong Khai Police Station for further prosecution. The suspect, primarily informed that he has been hired by a man from the provincial seat of Mukdahan to deliver the beef to a customer in Nong Khai, noting that when he reached the Nong Song Hong intersection, the delivery would be taken over by a third party, who was scheduled to take the products and put it in the cold storage. (TNA)