CHONBURI — 14 August 2026, police have arrested a Chinese man in Pattaya accused of directing a money-laundering network for scam gangs that processed more than 8.8 million baht, authorities said.
The 30-year-old man, identified only as Zhang, was arrested at a condominium in Nong Prue, Bang Lamung district. He was wanted by Chinese authorities on fraud and money-laundering allegations, police said.
He was also charged in Thailand with overstaying his visa.
Police said Zhang was a senior figure who recruited and directed a network to use ATM cards and bank accounts to withdraw and transfer money obtained through scams, in an effort to obscure the funds’ origin and avoid arrest.
Investigators said Zhang travelled to Thailand in 2023 and 2024 to meet accomplices and use the country as an operational base for the scam network. Members of the group allegedly rotated their personal bank accounts to receive fraud proceeds before others were instructed to make large cash withdrawals.
Police said the network handled more than 1.8 million yuan, or about 8.8 million baht.
According to investigators, Zhang fled China through Japan after learning that Chinese authorities were preparing an arrest warrant. He then allegedly entered Thailand illegally and had been hiding in the country since March 2025.
Crime Suppression Division officers, working with Chon Buri immigration police, located him at the Pattaya condominium and made the arrest.
Police said Zhang confessed during questioning to using Thailand as a base to launder money from scam gangs and to hiding in the country after fleeing Chinese authorities.
He was handed over to immigration police for deportation and further legal proceedings in China.
