A senior official at J&B Metal Company has stated that his acquisition, via auction, of cadmium residue from Bound and Beyond Plc in Tak province, and the transfer of the residue to Samut Sakhon, were lawful. He suggested that he might be a target of foul play by his rivals.
Jesada Kengrungruangchai appeared before the Natural Resources and Environment Crime Division (NRECD) today to acknowledge the allegations against him.
Pol Maj-Gen Watcharin Phusit, head of the NRECD, stated that Jesada was accused of unlawful possession of hazardous materials because the company’s storage facility in Bang Na Jeod sub-district lacks a permit for such items.
According to the police officer, a storage site in Krathum Baen district, owned by others, where the cadmium residue was kept, and the warehouse of Lor Loha Thai Metal in Bang Sue district of Bangkok, in which Jesada is a stakeholder, also lack permits to store hazardous materials.
Jesada asserts that he bought around 13,800 tons of residue, with approximately 38% being cadmium residue, for approximately 8 million baht, with the intention of separating the zinc component, which can be sold for up to 300 baht per kilogram.
He stated that he did not intend to keep the cadmium residue, and mentioned that the cadmium had already been neutralized at its source.
He clarified that he actually only received 12,000 tons of the residue.
Jesada also mentioned that he stored the residue at various warehouses because his own facility did not have sufficient space. He explained that he sold some of it due to financial constraints, and added that he is in the process of selling more to a buyer in Laos who runs a separation facility.
He suggested that he is a victim of foul play by someone who was unsuccessful in the initial auction of the residue.
