February 21, 2025
BANGKOK – The Metropolitan Police Bureau has arrested 145 suspects, including nine Thais and 136 foreigners, in a three-day crime suppression operation in Bangkok, the bureau announced on Thursday.
Major Police Operation Targets Criminal Activities
Pol Lt-Gen Sayam Boonsom, commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, revealed at a press conference that the arrests took place between Tuesday and Thursday across 123 locations in Bangkok.
The operation involved officers from 88 police stations and nine divisions, targeting various criminal activities in the capital.
Among the 136 arrested foreigners, there were:
- 77 Chinese nationals
- 32 Myanmar nationals
- 14 Laotians
- 14 others of various nationalities
Breakdown of the Arrests
The 145 suspects were arrested for a range of offences, including:
- 1 drug-related case
- 67 gambling-related cases
- 15 immigration law violations
- 68 breaches of alien business laws
- 21 customs law violations
- 33 cases of intellectual property rights violations
- 9 other offences
Notable Cases
One significant case involved the arrest of both Thai and foreign suspects accused of smuggling medical supplies worth 140 million baht for illegal sale. Police seized 41,500 medical supply items and 1.2 million baht in cash.
In another case, a suspect was arrested in possession of 509 kilogrammes of crystal methamphetamine.
Additionally, in a high-profile operation, the Metropolitan Police Bureau joined forces with the Police Cyber Taskforce to arrest two suspected call-centre gang leaders at their residence in the Ratchadaphisek area. Authorities seized assets worth 15 million baht. Sayam alleged that the two suspects were operating a call-centre scam from Poipet, Cambodia.