Nearly 300 Officers Launch 'Phuket Foreign Nominee Crackdown' with Searches at 29 Locations, Investigating Network Linked to 243 Companies

On May 13, 2025, the Royal Thai Police Office, led by Deputy Police Chief Samran Nualma and accompanied by Nopsil Poolsawat, mobilized 266 officers from various agencies including Immigration Police, Central Investigation Police, Provincial Police Region 8, Surat Thani Provincial Police, Koh Phangan Police Station, and security agencies to launch the 'Koh Phangan Foreign Nominee Crackdown' operation in Surat Thani Province.

Officers conducted searches at 29 targeted locations, consisting of 5 upstream companies and 24 nominee companies, to seize evidence including corporate documents, share transfer agreements, financial trails, digital data, and evidence of business control. The investigation revealed a pattern of using Thai nationals as nominee shareholders to evade foreign business regulations.

Investigators reported that Koh Phangan has 3,754 registered business entities, of which 2,381 involve foreign shareholders. Of these, 243 companies were identified as investigation targets, with 27 nominee companies and land holdings discovered, linked to 37 plots of land valued at approximately 150 million baht.

Authorities identified the operation as a network scheme initiated by foreigners or true beneficiaries who established multiple companies before appointing Thai nominees as shareholders, then linked these to land ownership, business operations, and financial channels to conceal the real operators.

Key patterns identified include the use of the same Thai shareholder groups, simultaneous registration of multiple companies, use of identical addresses, and sequential transfers of shares or assets.

Authorities arrested four suspects: one foreigner and three Thai nationals on charges related to foreign business operations using Thai nominee shareholders. Investigators indicated they are preparing to expand the investigation to other related individuals and networks.