Environmental crime police and industrial works officials seized about 14,400 tonnes of hazardous aluminium dross at two smelting factories in Nakhon Pathom and Samut Sakhon provinces near Bangkok 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 heading for an aluminium factory in Muang district of Samut Sakhon.
Police then visited the destination, Taibao Aluminum Co, in tambon Bang Krachao of Muang district in Samut Sakhon. On the premises, police seized 1,400 bags containing a total of 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 smelting factory in tambon Prong Maduea of Muang district, Nakhon Pathom, that was the source of the aluminium dross found on the truck. The factory was also not operating and there were no workers in sight.
