Police dismantle pickup truck fertiliser ring selling unregistered farm chemicals
Police dismantled a fertiliser ring selling unregistered farm chemicals in Thailand.
The group allegedly ran a mobile fertiliser racket, using pickup trucks and workers to sell unauthorised products directly to farmers across several provinces during the planting season.
They offered fertiliser loans at exorbitant interest rates, despite the products not having undergone proper approval.
Police on Thursday raided two locations in Nakhon Sawan suspected of distributing hazardous agricultural substances.
They seized 59 unregistered chemical fertilisers and 31 'Type 3' unregistered hazardous substances from pickup trucks and a house. The combined value exceeded 4.3 million baht.
Police detained a suspect, who allegedly admitted to owning the products and employing around 10 workers to drive pickup trucks and sell them directly in villages and agricultural areas.
The operation already had an existing customer base, allowing them to make direct sales and avoid government checks, police said.
The suspect was charged with selling unregistered chemical fertilisers, manufacturing and possessing unregistered Type 3 hazardous substances, and possessing Type 3 hazardous substances without permission.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Jaroon Khamma of the Consumer Protection Police Division said such fertilisers pose risks to farmers as they could damage crops and reduce yields.
He said: ‘These unregistered chemical fertilisers and hazardous substances have not undergone quality analysis by government agencies, making it impossible to verify whether their ingredients match what is indicated on the labels.
‘In some cases, they may contain insufficient nutrients or dangerous contaminants, resulting in financial losses for farmers, crop damage, and potential long-term impacts on the environment as well as consumer safety.'
