South Korean arrested at Suvarnabhumi for allegedly laundering crypto into gold worth 1.65bn baht

A South Korean man, allegedly linked to a call centre gang laundering crypto into gold, was arrested at Suvarnabhumi Airport. The total value of the operation is over 1.65 billion baht.

Police officers from the Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD) on Saturday arrested Han, a 33-year-old South Korean national, at Suvarnabhumi Airport. He was apprehended under an arrest warrant issued by the Criminal Court on February 6, 2025, on charges of fraud, impersonation by entering false data into a computer system, money laundering, and involvement in a criminal syndicate.

The arrest follows an investigation into a call centre scam that began in February 2024. Victims, seeking extra income, were tricked into investing money in activities promising returns of 30%-50%. Early returns were paid, but as victims invested more, they were eventually unable to withdraw their funds, with the perpetrators claiming the victims hadn’t followed the required procedures.

Upon realising they were being scammed, the victims reported the case to the TCSD, leading to the arrest of 10 suspects, including five individuals responsible for laundering money for the call centre gang and five ‘mule’ account holders.

The authorities had learned that Han was due to arrive in Thailand on a flight from South Korea. The TCSD, in coordination with the Immigration Bureau, planned and executed the arrest at the immigration checkpoint. They also seized his mobile phone, which contained multiple cryptocurrency accounts and evidence related to money laundering.

During questioning, the suspect denied some of the charges but admitted to previously studying in China for six years. He then returned to work for a company in South Korea that laundered various cryptocurrencies into gold bars for the call centre gang. His role involved setting up cryptocurrency accounts to receive funds from the call centre, and then his company would purchase gold bars from overseas suppliers and ship them back to the syndicate.

The investigation revealed that each laundering transaction involved over 10 kilograms of gold (valued at around 33 million baht). Between January and March 2024, his accounts received digital currency worth approximately 47.3 million USDT (around 1.65 billion baht), believed to have been laundered into gold bars for the call centre gang.

The suspect is now in custody, and further investigation is ongoing.

(2025/08/23-00:00)