Thai police say they have shut down a money laundering ring that catered to a notorious online gambling network.
In an official release, the Thai Department of Special Investigation (DSI) said it has frozen and seized funds in several bank accounts totaling over 500 million baht, or $15.3 million.
Officers said they raided an address, a factory in Chom Thong District, Bangkok, in the afternoon of April 27, where they arrested an individual named Chaiyuth (last name withheld) on a warrant issued in March.
Police said they have charged the man with three separate money laundering-related offenses.
Officers added they have remanded Chaiyuth in custody ahead of a hearing in a criminal court in the Thai capital.
Police have accused Chaiyuth of opening a slew of dummy accounts. He reportedly used these to launder money from various online casinos.
The casinos are all operated by the same online gambling group, police said.
Officers say the case remains active as they continue their investigation into the wider group.
Thai Police Hunt Gambling Den Operators
The arrest came as the government announced the continuation of a sweeping crackdown on illegal gambling dens, cross-border organized crime networks, and criminals who forge immigration documents.
The Thai media outlet The Better reported that Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul held a press conference on April 30. He was joined by cabinet members and officials from the security agency.
The Prime Minister said the crackdown, codenamed Operation Dragon’s Scales, has seen police shut down a massive network of illegal gambling dens in Nakhon Ratchasima province and Bangkok.
Police raided multiple addresses in both parts of the country, officials confirmed.
The Nakhon Ratchasima operation resulted in officers arresting 89 individuals and seizing millions of dollars from the suspected operators of the dens.
Dens in the province made an estimated 60 million baht (over $1.8 million) per month, police estimate.
Raids on two gambling dens in Bangkok, meanwhile, saw 100 people arrested. Police said both of these illegal gambling dens also made “tens of millions of baht” on a monthly basis.
The officials said police will now expand their investigation nationwide.
Over 900 police units will identify and shut down scores more illegal betting dens as part of the same operation, the officials concluded.
The Thai social media space was recently rocked when “Beer” Anusorn Pothong, a social media personality with over 7.2 million followers on TikTok, emerged from a lengthy absence to confess he had become addicted to online gambling.
Pothong said that online casino addiction had ruined his personal life and scuppered his business dreams. The influencer admitted to accruing gambling-related debts to the tune of $621,000.
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Thai police say they have shut down a money laundering ring that catered to a notorious online gambling network. In an official release, the Thai Department of Special Investigation (DSI) said it has frozen and seized funds in several bank accounts totaling over 500 million baht, or $15.3 million. Officers said they raided an address,
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