2nd Chinese national caught for storing cadmium waste in Samut Sakhon
A Chinese national, who owns a warehouse in Samut Sakhon, confessed to storing more than 5,000 tonnes of cadmium waste for sale to another Chinese national, Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Division officials said.
The officials said on Monday that a probe against Zhang Chen Mao, the owner of Sin Hong Cheng Inter Tech (2008) Ltd in Samut Sakhon, revealed that some 1,034 tonnes of cadmium was being stored in his warehouse, while another 4,000 tonnes of the hazardous substance was recently transported to Chonburi province.
Cadmium can be carcinogenic if it seeps into water sources.
Zhang reportedly confessed to buying cadmium waste from J&B Metal Co Ltd at 8,250 baht per tonne, totalling over 41.2 million baht. His intention was to sell the toxic waste to Liu Lu, another Chinese national and owner of a warehouse in Samut Sakhon.
Lu was arrested on Sunday with over 7,000 tonnes of cadmium waste in his warehouse, which he reportedly said, was being prepared for sale in China.
Industry Ministry officials recently checked a zinc ore smelting operation run by Bound and Beyond Plc in Tak’s Muang district and learned that it had sold 13,000 tonnes of cadmium waste to J&B Metal in Samut Sakhon instead of burying it for safety as required.
Police and Industry Ministry officials have been tracking down the sold cadmium waste to ensure it is disposed of correctly to minimise health and environmental impact and alleviate public concern, Industry Minister Pimphattra Wichaikul said.
Police also found that Zhang, who has been in Thailand since 1991, has overstayed his visa by more than five years. In 2013, he was charged with the unlawful possession of lead sludge, a dangerous substance, and was sentenced to one year in prison and fined 120,000 baht. However, his sentence was halved to six months behind bars and 60,000 baht in fine, with a two-year suspended sentence, due to his confession.
