Thailand is preparing to return a large consignment of illegally imported electronic waste to the United States after authorities seized the shipment at Laem Chabang port. The shipment weighing about 284 tonnes was seized after inspection by the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), Customs officials and Pollution Control Department officials.Deputy Prime Minister Suchart Chomklin confirmed that 12 shipping containers carrying approximately 285,000 kilograms of e-waste were seized during the operation and will be sent back to the US.Customs Department Director General Phanthong Loysakunan said the incident followed a rigorous investigation by the Department of Special Investigations (DSI), which exposed the smuggling pattern to the team. Smugglers attempted to fool customs by falsely claiming that hazardous electronic waste was scrap metal from Haiti. This awareness reflects Thailand’s intensified war against illegal waste and its commitment to upholding international protocols.
Mithun said
To meet international protocols one hundred percent, Thai authorities are now tracking 714 additional containers in transit to prevent further environmental dumping.
Toxic e-waste disguised as scrap metal flagged at Laem Chabang port
The inspection at Laem Chabang port led to high-precision risk profiling, which identified a mismatch between the cargo’s declaration and its hazardous content. Under the DSI case file, investigators uncovered a pattern where a smuggler mislabeled 284 tons of toxic electronic waste from Haiti as ‘scrap metal’ to bypass cargo team checks. This red flag was reinforced by intelligence from the Basel Action Network (BAN), which confirmed that the shipment contained processed printed circuit board scrap, which is a direct violation of the Basel Convention on Hazardous Waste Shipments.
What is the three group theory in seizure? illegal electronic waste
As confirmed, these illegal electronic waste shipments were divided into three separate groups, totaling eighteen containers. And twelve containers labeled as scrap iron from Haiti made up the first and most important group, but it was discovered that they were hiding 284 tons of hazardous printed circuit board scrap. Four containers from the United States that were identified as mixed metal scrap and headed to Japan and Hong Kong formed the second group. Finally, the third group included two containers from the US and the Netherlands.
History of electronic waste trafficking in Thailand
To avoid international environmental laws, Thailand has been a prime target for illegal electronic waste trafficking for years. The report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) shows that illegal trade in electronic waste has increased rapidly since 2018. The country often serves as a secondary dumping ground for Western digital waste.In May 2025, authorities seized 238 metric tons of American-origin electronic waste at the Port of Bangkok. This operation, part of “Operation Can Opener”, found 10 containers of processed circuit board scrap that were incorrectly labeled as mixed metal.In January 2025, a major seizure of 256 tonnes of electronic waste from Japan and Hong Kong was stopped in Laem Chabang. The Nation Thailand reported that these shipments were also disguised as ‘scrap metal’ to avoid the 2020 ban.In July 2018, Thailand experienced an 80% increase in plastic and e-waste imports following the ‘China effect’, leading to emergency raids on unlicensed recycling factories in Chachoengsao and Chonburi, according to research published through PMC.