PHUKET — Thai Cyber Police have arrested six suspects – three Taiwanese nationals and three Thai citizens – in a major crackdown on an international online gambling operation in Phuket. The suspects were operating from a luxury house, managing an upgraded money laundering system for multiple gambling websites.
Police Lieutenant General Trairong Phiwphan led the operation dubbed “Island Closure, Transnational Grey Capital Takedown,” executing a search warrant at a luxury villa on Thepkasattri Road in Koh Kaew district on February 10. Officers seized 119 mobile phones, 2 computers, 19 bank passbooks, and illegal drugs including 6 ecstasy pills and 74.5 grams of ketamine.
The operation uncovered a sophisticated financial network where the gang rented luxury properties as command centers, frequently relocating to avoid detection. They developed a specialized financial system allowing gamblers to deposit funds through custom applications, automatically transferring money across multiple accounts simultaneously – an upgrade from traditional sequential transfers.
Investigation revealed the operation handled over 20 million baht ($286,000) in transactions. The Taiwanese suspects confessed to receiving 50,000 baht ($1,465) monthly salaries to manage the system 24/7, verifying transactions and coordinating with Thai nationals who provided face verification for bank accounts. Thai accomplices earned 2,500 baht ($73) per bank account registration plus 20,000 baht ($587) monthly for face scanning services.
Police have warrants for 29 suspects, with 26 still at large. Charges include operating illegal gambling platforms, money laundering, trading in bank accounts and phone numbers for criminal purposes, and illegal drug possession.
Cyber Police withheld the names of the Taiwanese suspects during the press conference on February 11, as FBI investigators are expanding their investigation. The network is allegedly connected to scam operations targeting victims in the United States.
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