The Thai Prime Minister oversaw a massive raid of an e-cigarette warehouse in Thailand.

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra visited the facility in Nonthaburi on the outskirts of the capital Bangkok to monitor the police operations on March 18. The illegal warehouse was reportedly located just half a mile behind a police station.

The crackdown, dubbed 'Operation Smoke Out', saw authorities seize a staggering 260,000 Chinese-made vape pipes and related products worth around 130 million Baht (around 2.8 million GBP).

Two suspects were arrested in the raid. They claimed to have been hired for 20,000 Baht (440 GBP) each to guard the warehouse.

Police Major General Samran Nuanma, assistant national police chief, said: 'The arrested men were only warehouse supervisors. We believe that the products found at the 10 properties belonged to one Thai man who remains in the country.'

Authorities said the vaping devices had been smuggled from China through a port in southern Chonburi province, before being distributed to dozens of retail outlets nationwide.

Police Major General Noppasin Pulsawat, deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, said undercover officers had posed as buyers, placing orders through online groups and apps to trace the deliveries back to the illicit storage sites.

Officials denied police were involved in the illegal vape smuggling, despite the warehouse sitting less than a kilometre away from the Bang Bua Thong Police Station. The Bangkok police chief insisted that the warehouse was owned by the ex-wife of an officer, who had unknowingly leased it to the suspects.

PM Paetongtarn has praised the police efforts to protect public health, especially among the youth.

She said: 'This is considered a major raid with high value. The officers will expand the investigation to the masterminds and bring them to justice.'

Vaping has been banned in Thailand since 2014, despite the products being easily purchased in the country.

Those caught vaping or even just possessing a vape could result in a fine of up to 30,000 Baht (700 GBP), imprisonment of up to five years, or both.

(1 GBP = 43.62 THB)