Father and son surrender as DSI goes after pork-smuggling ring
A father and son who reportedly fled overseas to evade pork-smuggling charges surrendered to the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) on Tuesday after arriving back at Suvarnabhumi Airport.
Neither of the suspects spoke to reporters waiting at the airport.
The pair is allegedly part of a smuggling ring that shipped in thousands of tonnes of illegal frozen pork between 2021 and early this year.
The two suspects were cooperating in the investigation to trace the pork's origin, the recipients, and other details of the smuggling operation, DSI director-general Pol-Maj Suriya Singhakamol said on Tuesday.
Suriya said the pair is suspected of ordering 7.5 tonnes of frozen pork seized from a Samut Sakhon warehouse. Evidence also links them to smuggled pork at several other cold storage facilities used as distribution centres, he added.
Asked what the DSI was doing to seize the illegal pork shipments, Suriya said the smuggling had been going on since 2021 so much of the pork had already been distributed to consumers.
The investigation was continuing to trace other big financiers in the pork smuggling ring, he added.
Evidence also points to corruption by at least 10 government officials who were aiding the smuggling operation, the DSI chief said.
The development came after Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin reportedly expressed his annoyance with officials over the slow progress of the pork-smuggling investigation.
