CIB Arrests Chinese Online Gambling Operator Wanted in China
Thailand's Central Investigation Bureau arrested a 37-year-old Chinese national in Samut Prakan who was wanted by Chinese authorities for running an illegal online gambling payment network with over 3.5 billion baht in circulation. The suspect entered Thailand as a tourist in October but had his stay permission revoked after police confirmed the Chinese arrest warrant. He was apprehended at a hotel and handed over to immigration authorities for deportation proceedings.
On November 14, 2026, Pol. Lt. Gen. Noppasin Poolsawat, Commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau, ordered Pol. Maj. Gen. Songprod Sirisukha, Commander of Sub-division 3, along with Pol. Col. Chinnawut Tangwongleart, Pol. Col. Suriya Phuangsombut, Pol. Lt. Col. Thaninporn Prayoonsorn, and Pol. Lt. Col. Dreniu Mingmuang to investigate and track a 37-year-old Chinese national named Tang (alias). The Longyan Public Security Bureau in Fujian Province, China had issued an arrest warrant for him on charges of illegal business operations. His network arranged payment services and account clearing for overseas online gambling platforms, acting as a coordinator with those platforms, with case circulation valued at over 700 million yuan or approximately 3.5 billion baht.
Investigation revealed the suspect entered Thailand as a tourist in early October and his permission to stay had not yet expired. However, after receiving coordinated intelligence confirming the Chinese arrest warrant, the Sub-division 3 commander revoked his permission to stay under Section 12(7) of the Immigration Act B.E. 2522, classifying him as a prohibited person.
Investigators later learned the suspect was staying at a hotel in Samut Prakan province. They staked out the hotel parking lot and spotted a man matching the suspect's description exiting a vehicle. They identified themselves, informed him of the revocation of stay permission through an interpreter, and he acknowledged being the person named in the warrant. He was taken into custody, read his rights, and transferred to Immigration Division 3 for further legal proceedings.
