Special Forces Bust Trafficking Ring, Find Child Workers
Special forces soldiers and police in Ranong Province intercepted a pickup truck smuggling six Myanmar migrant workers, including two children aged 13 and 14. The driver confessed he was paid 3,000 baht per person to transport the group from Ranong to Surat Thani, bypassing checkpoints via boat. Authorities have launched an expanded investigation to identify the trafficking network behind the operation.
On November 9, 2026, Lt. Gen. Thanut Phisan Sithiwattana, Commander of the Thepstri Task Force, and Pol. Lt. Col. Sumakorn Sungpanhao, Superintendent of Sukh Samran Police Station, received a report from the Rattanrangrat Special Forces Unit along with checkpoint officials from the 2521st Ranger Company and investigation teams regarding the arrest of illegal migrant transport by vehicle in Na Kae Subdistrict, Sukh Samran District, Ranong Province.
Acting on a tip-off that migrants would be smuggled by vehicle, officers set up surveillance. They spotted a bronze-gray Mazda BT-50 pickup with Surat Thani plates leaving Moo 1, Na Kae Subdistrict, Sukh Samran District, Ranong Province, heading toward Phang Nga Province. Officers pursued the target vehicle while coordinating with Sukh Samran Police to set up an interception point.
During pursuit, officers signaled the vehicle to stop, but it fled. Officers gave chase until they successfully intercepted it.
Upon inspection, the driver was identified as Mr. Nathawut, 31, along with six Myanmar migrant workers — five women and one man. Two were minors aged 13-14. None of the workers could produce identification or travel documents.
Under questioning, Mr. Nathawut admitted to transporting the group. He had picked them up at Pak Nam Pier in Mueang Ranong District, then drove them to Bang Ben Pier in Kapoe District, Ranong Province, to board a boat bypassing the Sukh Samran checkpoint. He then waited at a natural pier channel for the next group.
Mr. Nathawut further stated he was hired by someone using the names 'Bangri' or 'Phet-ek' (real name unknown), contacted via mobile phone, and coordinated by a Mr. Somchai through Messenger. He was paid 3,000 baht per person to deliver the workers to Kilometer 18 in Phunphin District, Surat Thani Province.
Following the arrest, officers expanded the investigation to track down accomplices and others involved before handing the driver and all migrant workers to Sukh Samran Police investigators in Ranong Province for legal proceedings.
The Thepstri Task Force remains committed to its mission of monitoring, preventing, and intercepting illegal migrant smuggling, while integrating cooperation with relevant agencies to prevent and suppress illegal activities, maintaining security and order in its area of responsibility effectively.
