The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of the Royal Thai Police recently launched a large-scale operation, successfully cracking down on a money laundering network involving 21 companies and over 800 million Thai baht.
This case reveals the complex connections between online gambling, call center scams, and gray business money laundering.
Key Actions:
1. First group: The police sealed the accounts of 14 suspects related to the online gambling website Crown168. Confiscated items include: 685 horse accounts, 100 cash cards, mobile phones and telephone SIM cards, and over 1,000 other pieces of evidence.
2. Second group: The police arrested 20 suspects related to the horse accounting scheme, with 14 people arrested. Important electronic devices and account books were seized as evidence.
3. Third group: 38 participants in the gray business money laundering scheme were involved, with 36 arrested.
A large amount of cash was seized, including over 31 million Thai baht and US dollars, in addition to several bank accounts involving more than 25 million Thai baht.
Key Findings:
The investigation shows that the fund flows of the Crown168 gambling website involved multiple bank accounts, including corporate and company accounts.
Upon further verification, the police found that these accounts not only provided fund flows for the gambling website but were also used multiple times for fund transfers by call center scam gangs.
As the investigation deepened, the police discovered a company named "GN xxx," which, although registered as a legal entity, actually operated as a money laundering tool, providing payment channels for multiple illegal network gangs.
Through the accounts of this company, the police traced at least 21 other companies transferring funds to and from GN xxx, totaling over 800 million Thai baht.
Money Laundering Operation Mode:
The GN xxx company did not operate according to its registered purpose but instead used its bank accounts as a transit station for fund flows. The company received funds from multiple online gambling and illegal groups, then extracted these funds through illegal channels, even transferring them to illegal ATMs in Bangkok.
Additionally, the investigation found that some of the laundered money was converted into cryptocurrencies.
The so-called "payment group" was responsible for converting the funds into cryptocurrency based on the exchange rate of USDT for the day, providing compensation to the participants.
Police Response:
The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) and the Suppression Division, under the command of Police Commander Kittirat Phanphet and Assistant Commander Akradet Pimonsri, continue to investigate and combat this illegal money laundering network. The police emphasize that combating the gray economy and money laundering activities will be one of the core goals of the government's crime-fighting efforts.
The police call on the public to provide clues to help investigate such criminal activities and to take strict action against all companies and individuals involved in money laundering and illegal activities.
This case not only reveals the vast network of online gambling and money laundering industries within Thailand but also shows the police's determination to combat gray economic activities.
