Police Raid Luxury Phuket Villa, Arrest 18 in Gambling Bust
Thai police raided a luxury villa in Phuket's Thalang district early Monday, arresting 18 people for illegal "pop" gambling. Officers seized gambling equipment, record books, and 104,000 baht in cash. The alleged organizer faces charges of operating unauthorized gambling, while the other 17 suspects are charged with participating in illegal gambling.
Police raided a "pop" gambling operation inside a luxury villa in Phuket, arresting 18 gamblers and seizing more than 100,000 baht in cash along with gambling equipment, detaining suspects for prosecution.
At 12:30 a.m. on November 3, Pol. Lt. Col. Kittiphan Siriwat, Deputy Chief of Investigation Division 3, Provincial Police Region 8, and Pol. Lt. Col. Surasak Pipithkul, Inspector of Investigation Division 3, Provincial Police Region 8, together with Thalang Police, entered a luxury villa in Moo 6, Sri Sunthorn subdistrict, Thalang district, Phuket. They arrested Mr. Benjarong (surname withheld), 35, a Phuket resident, along with 17 others while they were secretly gambling.
Officers seized evidence including one "pop" gambling set (shrimp, fish, horseshoe crab), one betting mat, 30 wooden chips used as currency, two record books for shrimp-fish gambling statistics, and 104,000 baht in cash placed in the center of the gambling circle.
Mr. Benjarong was initially charged with operating unauthorized "pop" gambling (shrimp, fish, horseshoe crab, flowers). The other 17 suspects were charged with participating in unauthorized gambling and gambling for property without permission.
All suspects and evidence were handed over to Thalang Police investigators for further legal proceedings.
