The arrests were announced at the CCIB headquarters in Bangkok today (Feb 11).
The operation, dubbed ‘Hunting Down the Island and Breaking Up the International Terrorism Capital’, was led by CCIB Commander Pol Lt Gen Trairong Phiwpaen alongside other senior law enforcement officials.
The investigation uncovered a sophisticated financial network designed to conceal transactions for illegal online gambling websites, including GoatBet178, Icb365, Lavaslot777 and others, the TCSD announced today.
The syndicate developed a custom financial system, known as tsn7.yourpay, along with a mobile application called Tsnupay. The software was used to facilitate rapid money transfers, effectively masking financial trails.
Unlike traditional mule account systems, where funds are transferred sequentially, this operation allowed for instant, widespread disbursement to multiple accounts, making detection more difficult.
The suspects recruited Thai nationals to open mule accounts and undergo facial scanning to authorise transactions. They were paid per account and tasked with managing the money flow.
Officers executed a search warrant at a luxury residence in Phuket’s Koh Kaew area at about 3:30pm yesterday (Feb 10).
The raid led to the arrest of six suspects ‒ three Taiwanese nationals responsible for system operations and three Thai accomplices handling account verification.
The officers seized:
- 119 mobile phones
- 2 computers with accessories
- 19 bankbooks
- 6 tablets of ecstasy (Category 1 narcotic)
- 74.5 grams of ketamine (Category 2 narcotic)
Investigations revealed that nearly B10 million flowed through the system daily. One of the Taiwanese suspects confessed to being hired by another Taiwanese national to manage the system for a monthly salary of B50,000, working around the clock.
Thai operatives received B2,500 per account and B20,000 monthly for facial verification duties.
The suspects face multiple charges, including operating an illegal electronic gambling network, money laundering, advertising illegal gambling services and unlawful possession of narcotics, the CCIB confirmed.
The CCIB is continuing to analyse evidence, particularly the seized mobile devices, in an effort to trace further accomplices.
“This syndicate represents a highly organised international money laundering operation aimed at concealing criminal proceeds from online gambling,” said Pol Lt Gen Trairong.
“We are actively pursuing additional suspects and expect further developments soon.”