Chinese gangs in Thailand take another hit as “Tony” falls

Chinese gangs in Thailand are in more trouble as police arrested another suspected gang boss in Bangkok Wednesday.

Teams of police raided 34 locations in eight provinces, at the behest of deputy national police chief Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn.

Big Joke, as Surachate is playfully known, said that in Samut Prakan, a company was identified as owning a private aircraft connected with Chinese businessman Chaiyanat “Tuhao” Kornchayanant. According to the Bangkok Post, the company also owns more than 80 tour buses and a hotel worth 700 million baht.

Tuhao turned himself in to the police last week over his alleged involvement in the drug trade.

During Wednesday’s operation, police raided three companies in Huai Kwang district of Bangkok and detained a Chinese national Chen Zhaohui – known as Tony – at Belle Condominium on Rama 9 road on charges of supporting or colluding in running a business operated illegally by foreign nationals.

The arrest of Tony followed the raid on a bar operated by Space Plus Club Management (Thailand) Co early this month.

Natson Hutasewi, a Thai national and executive of the firm, was arrested and charged with being a nominee for Chinese Chinese gangs in Thailand running businesses.

Tony, found to have invested more than 100 million baht in the enterprise, is accused of heading one of five Chinese gangs under investigation.

Police have already arrested the alleged bosses of three gangs – Tuhao, Shui Tai Wei alias David, and Yu Chang Fei.

The fourth gang is led by Tony and Johnny, who are believed to have fled the country. The leader of the fifth gang – Ming – has reportedly also fled the country.

Pol Gen Torsak Sukvimol said on Wednesday that the operations followed the seizure of luxury cars during the Yannawa raid on October 26

Police found that one of the vehicles was frequently driven into a luxury housing compound in the Lasalle area of Samut Prakan. Officers raided the compound and seized a number of assets for examination.

The investigation has been extended to pursue those who act as nominees for foreign nationals, Torsak said.

An investigation into a private jet seized by the office of the narcotics control board (ONCB) at Bo Fai airfield found that the aircraft was owned by Modern Latex. Tuhao is a major shareholder and executive of the company.

Police and officials from the ONCB and the anti-money laundering office are inspecting the private jet, gathering DNA and determining who has been on board.