Recently, the Chiang Mai police in Thailand successfully cracked down on a transnational online gambling crime syndicate led by Taiwanese personnel.
According to the report from the Fifth Police District of Thailand, the syndicate used several luxury apartments as bases for their online gambling operations, with monthly transactions amounting to 10 million Thai Baht and over 100,000 members participating in gambling.
The police conducted simultaneous raids at three target locations, arresting a total of 19 suspects.
The operation was personally directed by the chief of the Fifth Police District, with the specific execution by the department combating information technology crimes.
The first location: In a luxury apartment in the Suthep district of Chiang Mai, the police captured 6 suspects, including one Taiwanese man and five Thai nationals (3 men and 2 women), and seized 5 computers and 5 mobile phones.
The second location: In another apartment in the Chang Phueak district, the police arrested 8 people, including one Taiwanese woman and seven Thai nationals (6 men and 1 woman), and confiscated 9 computers and 18 mobile phones.
The third location: In a high-end apartment on Huay Kaew Road in the Suthep district, the police captured one Burmese woman and four Thai men, and seized 5 computers.
According to preliminary investigations by the police, the members of the syndicate claimed to be mainly responsible for operating gambling websites, attracting players from Thailand, mainland China, and Taiwan.
The crime syndicate recruited local Thai staff with high salaries ranging from 15,000 to 30,000 Thai Baht per month, responsible for managing advertisements and planning promotional activities. One of the core members of the syndicate, a Taiwanese man named "Kimmy" (transliterated), was responsible for renting apartments and organizing the team's operations.
The police have now charged the 19 arrested individuals with illegal assembly for gambling and unauthorized solicitation of others to participate in gambling. Furthermore, the police will continue to investigate other suspects and the flow of funds, aiming to completely dismantle this transnational criminal network. The involved gambling website has been shut down, and the investigation is still progressing.
The Chiang Mai police stated that this operation demonstrates their determination to combat transnational cybercrime and also serves as a warning to society to stay away from the pitfalls of gambling.
