145 suspects, half of them Chinese, arrested in crime crackdown in Bangkok

Bangkok police arrested 145 suspects, including 77 Chinese nationals, in a major crime crackdown. Offences ranged from drug and gambling crimes to immigration and business law violations. Notable cases include a 509kg meth seizure and a call-centre scam bust.

The Metropolitan Police Bureau has arrested 145 suspects, including nine Thais and 136 foreigners, in a three-day crime suppression operation in Bangkok, the bureau announced on Thursday.

Major Police Operation Targets Criminal Activities

Pol Lt-Gen Sayam Boonsom, commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, revealed at a press conference that the arrests took place between Tuesday and Thursday across 123 locations in Bangkok.

The operation involved officers from 88 police stations and nine divisions, targeting various criminal activities in the capital.Among the 136 arrested foreigners, there were:


77 Chinese nationals
32 Myanmar nationals
14 Laotians
14 others of various nationalities


Breakdown of the Arrests



The 145 suspects were arrested for a range of offences, including:


1 drug-related case
67 gambling-related cases
15 immigration law violations
68 breaches of alien business laws
21 customs law violations
33 cases of intellectual property rights violations
9 other offences



 

Notable Cases

One significant case involved the arrest of both Thai and foreign suspects accused of smuggling medical supplies worth 140 million baht for illegal sale. Police seized 41,500 medical supply items and 1.2 million baht in cash.

In another case, a suspect was arrested in possession of 509 kilogrammes of crystal methamphetamine.

Additionally, in a high-profile operation, the Metropolitan Police Bureau joined forces with the Police Cyber Taskforce to arrest two suspected call-centre gang leaders at their residence in the Ratchadaphisek area. Authorities seized assets worth 15 million baht. Sayam alleged that the two suspects were operating a call-centre scam from Poipet, Cambodia.

(2025/02/20-00:00)