KOH SAMUI — Immigration police from Region 6 Surat Thani and Crime Suppression Division officers jointly arrested two British men in separate cases on Saturday.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Songhprod Sirisukha, Commander of Immigration Region 6, led officers in arresting Mr. Kieren Thornton, 38, at a pier in Moo 4, Bo Phut Subdistrict, Koh Samui District, Surat Thani Province. Thornton was wanted as a transnational criminal under an arrest warrant issued by the Criminal Court on May 19, 2025, for armed robbery charges.
Officers subsequently transferred Thornton to prosecutors from the Foreign Affairs Office at the Office of the Attorney General to proceed with transnational criminal extradition.
Meanwhile, Immigration investigators from Surat Thani Province arrested Mr. Ben Ashton, 37, who had been permitted to stay in the Kingdom as a tourist. It was later discovered that he had been posing as a major businessman in the Chaweng Beach tourist area of Koh Samui.
Investigation and verification with the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) revealed that he had previously been charged with fraud and sentenced to prison by a British court, but had fled to reside in Thailand while secretly operating businesses with his family.
Following Ashton’s arrest, the Immigration Region 6 Commander revoked his permission to stay in the Kingdom, as he is an individual who has committed offenses and been found guilty by a foreign court. Since British authorities want him returned to serve his sentence, he is considered a prohibited person banned from entering the Kingdom and will be extradited back to the UK to serve his sentence.
Officers also discovered that Ashton’s business group and family likely operated businesses through nominee or proxy companies, which constitutes illegal activity. Authorities have gathered evidence to request search warrants from Koh Samui Provincial Court and conducted searches of seven companies, with investigations ongoing. If violations are found, legal action will be taken strictly according to all applicable laws.
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