Police seized about 14,400 tonnes of improperly stored dross from two aluminium smelters in Nakhon Pathom and Samut Sakhon over the weekend.
Pol Col Arun Wacharasisukanya, deputy commander of the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Division, said that on Saturday, highway police in Nakhon Pathom stopped a semi-trailer truck carrying big bags of aluminium dross without permission. The truck was headed for an aluminium smelter in Muang district of Samut Sakhon.
At the smelter, which is owned by Taibao Aluminum Co, police found 1,400 bags containing 2,100 tonnes of aluminium dross. The factory was not operating on Saturday, but police also found hot aluminium bars there.
Authorities also searched another smelter in tambon Prong Maduea in Nakhon Pathom's Muang district, which they believed was the source of the aluminium dross found on the truck. The factory was also not operating and there were no workers in sight.
At the site, officials seized 12,387 tonnes of aluminium dross and hot aluminium bars. The Department of Industrial Works had ordered the closure of this factory in April for operating violations.
Pol Col Arun said both factories are believed to be run by Chinese nationals.
The deputy commander said aluminium dross can be harmful to health if it contaminates local water sources. It can irritate the eyes and skin and cause respiratory problems, he said.
