The arrests were led yesterday (Oct 30) by Region 8 Police Deputy Chief Pol Maj Gen Pornchai Khajornklin and Maj Gen Lertchai Champathong, Commander of the Region 8 Crime Suppression Division, together with Phuket Provincial Police Chief Maj Gen Sinlert Sukhum and Wichit Police Chief Pol Col Somsak Thongkliang.
Investigators from the Region 8 Police and Phuket crime suppression divisions, supported by Wichit Police, raided a two-storey house on Chao Fa East Rd in Wichit.
The house, connected to a luxury car dealership, had several high-end vehicles parked outside, including Audi and Mercedes-Benz sedans and Harley-Davidson motorcycles, said an official report of the raid.
Inside, police arrested three suspects – the alleged owner of the ‘UFARED’ gambling website and two site administrators. Officers seized B1.6 million in cash, computers, mobile phones and multiple luxury vehicles and motorcycles believed to have been purchased with proceeds from illegal gambling.
Maj Gen Pornchai said the raid was part of a wider crackdown ordered by the Region 8 Police Chief to dismantle online gambling and cybercrime networks operating across southern Thailand.
“This operation was the result of a joint investigation between the Region 8 Investigation Division and the Phuket Provincial Police,” he said. “In addition to the house in Wichit, six other locations were searched as part of the same operation.”
Preliminary findings confirmed that the suspects were operating an online gambling website with a large customer base and a high volume of financial transactions. Police have expanded the investigation to additional sites and seized numerous electronic devices for forensic analysis.
According to Maj Gen Lertchai, the operation is part of a nationwide cybercrime suppression campaign ordered by the Royal Thai Police, running from Oct 27 to Nov 3.
“The investigation revealed that the website ‘Uefa Red’ had been running illegal online gambling for some time, with monthly cash flow estimated at between B50 million and B60 million,” he said.
Two more suspects believed to be administrators and money withdrawal officers were arrested in coordinated raids at five other locations.
Police are now tracing financial records and digital evidence to identify other members of the network, which is suspected of operating at least two additional gambling platforms in Region 8.
Maj Gen Lertchai added that in parallel operations, Region 8 Police also seized several online gun sales accounts as part of the same cybercrime crackdown.
All suspects and seized items have been transferred to Phuket Provincial Police for further questioning and legal proceedings.