Thai forces disrupt cross-border motorcycle smuggling operation
Smuggling ring slips through border sweep with only one suspect

Military personnel, alongside paramilitary forces, disrupted a motorcycle smuggling operation along the Thai-Cambodia border, arresting one person while seven others evaded capture. Eight motorcycles, popular in Cambodia, were seized yesterday, July 8.
Police had received intelligence regarding the smuggling of stolen and untaxed motorcycles destined for Cambodia. Security forces lie in wait along agricultural routes in the risky border area near Baan Noen Sombun, Aranyaprathet district, where illegal cross-border activities frequently occur.
Upon spotting a suspicious motorcycle, officials tracked it to a group of seven people, known as runners, and seven motorcycles gathered in the dark to cross the border. As police moved in for the arrest, the group abandoned their motorcycles and fled into the Cambodian forest. One suspect, 38 year old Supachai, was captured.
The seized motorcycles included three Honda PCX 160s, two Honda Click 125s, a Yamaha NMAX, a Honda Giorno+, and a Kawasaki Z650. These models are in demand in Cambodia. The motorcycles, bearing license plates from various provinces, are believed to have been stolen for smuggling purposes.
The arrested suspect confessed to being unemployed and receiving instructions from a man named Jay via the LINE app yesterday. He was offered 200 baht (US$6) per motorcycle to transport them to the border.
Jay directed him to a PTT gas station in Ban Mai Nong Sai, where he received images of the targeted motorcycles, complete with keys.
Supachai then drove to the meeting point on the agricultural route in Ban Noen Sombun, Aranyaprathet, where others joined, making up a total of eight motorcycles. However, before they could execute the border crossing, paramilitary forces ambushed and made the arrest.
Initial procedures involved taking the suspect and the motorcycles for questioning and inventory at the paramilitary base, reported KhaoSod.
The case was then handed over to Khlong Nam Sai Police Station for further investigation into the network and employer, as well as to identify and return the motorcycles to their rightful owners. The suspect remains under investigation and will face legal proceedings.
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