BANGKOK — Immigration police arrest Russian man, leader of a gang forging and selling passports of 15 nationalities, including the United States, causing damage worth over 30 million baht.
On July 10, officials from the Immigration Bureau jointly announced the arrest of a Russian suspect believed to be the leader of a gang forging, importing, and selling fake passports, as well as deceiving people into obtaining passports, causing damage of over 30 million baht or about 825,000 dollars.
Police Major General Panthana Nuchanart, Deputy Commissioner of the Immigration Bureau, said that officers arrested Artem, 44, a Russian national, wanted on an arrest warrant issued by the South Bangkok Criminal Court on June 26, 2024, for “producing counterfeit passports, either in whole or in part, selling counterfeit passports, and importing counterfeit passports.”
He was arrested in a condominium room on Narathiwat Ratchanakarin Road, Suriyawong Subdistrict, Bang Rak District, Bangkok.
The Immigration Bureau’s investigation team examined the transnational criminal organization that produced fake passports and found that this network imported and sold counterfeit passports in Thailand. Officers received photographs of passport pages allegedly from the United States.
A detailed examination of these passport photos revealed several suspicious anomalies, suggesting they were likely counterfeit US passports. They then sent an inquiry to the Overseas Criminal Investigations Unit (OCIU) in Thailand and received confirmation that “the passports in question were indeed counterfeit.”
The investigation then uncovered that this passport forgery network openly advertised on applications such as VK, Telegram, WhatsApp, and through websites, claiming they could produce passports for 15 nationalities, asserting it was a legitimate citizenship application process. Payments were made through digital currency accounts, and they had established a company in Thailand to increase credibility.
Police found that many victims had been deceived. Some victims did not receive any passports, while others received forged passports sent by FedEx from the Dominican Republic.
The investigation team coordinated information with the US Transnational Crime Investigation Unit and learned that the leader of this group was Artem, leading to his arrest along with the seizure of evidence including mobile phones, laptops, bank books, and foreign credit cards.
Further investigation revealed that the network had divided responsibilities. There were individuals in the Dominican Republic who received orders to produce fake passports from Artem and were responsible for advertising, communicating with all victims, and managing the money received from victims. Initially, it was found that the total damage amounted to over 30 million baht.
_______
