Border Guards Nab Five Thai Online Gambling Site Administrators Attempting Illegal Return from Cambodia Following Crackdown

On May 5, officers from the Chanthaburi-Trat Border Defense Command, operating under the Chanthaburi Naval Engineering Task Unit, conducted patrols along the Thai-Cambodian border to intercept illegal activities. While patrolling an agricultural area near the border in Ban Marum village, Po Phra National Park District, Chanthaburi, officers stopped a bronze-colored Toyota pickup truck with license plate Bh 8993 for suspicious driving behavior.

Inside the vehicle were six people—three men and three women, including the driver and five Thai passengers who had illegally crossed from Cambodia through an uncontrolled border crossing. Upon preliminary investigation, the five Thai nationals admitted they had fled from casino buildings after Cambodian authorities cracked down heavily on online gambling operations. They explained they had previously smuggled across the border to work as website administrators at Grand Pavilion Building and Tong Building in Poi Sampoem Market in Cambodia, earning monthly salaries in the tens of thousands of baht.

However, Cambodian authorities recently tightened visa document inspections, and many gambling websites were shut down with operations relocated to other countries, leaving the suspects jobless. They hired the driver to pick them up and smuggle them back into Thailand, where they were apprehended near Pine Bend.

Authorities also arrested the driver, Chamlong, at Tate Orchard area near Po Phra Canal. A urine test revealed drug use, resulting in charges of drug use and unlawful vehicle operation under the Motor Vehicle Act. The five Thai nationals face charges for entering Thailand through unauthorized channels.

Officers emphasized the arrest was conducted strictly in accordance with the Prevention of Torture Act before the suspects were transferred to Po Phra Police Station and Chanthaburi Immigration for further legal proceedings.