Pattaya pool party busted: Cops dive into illegal ops crackdown
Pattaya police raided three pool villas where a Chinese gang was operating illegal money lending and online gambling activities, seizing 13 computers and over 100 mobile phones.
Chatchai Surachetphong, Deputy Regional Police Chief of Region 2, along with Navin Theerawit, Pattaya City Police Chief, and Thananon Athiphansri, Deputy Chief of Pattaya City Police, led a raid to investigate a pool villa in a village located on Chaiyaphruek 1 Road in Nong Prue, Bang Lamung district, Chon Buri province yesterday, October 3. They detained 20 foreigners and confiscated 13 computers and more than 100 mobile phones.
Police acted on a tip-off observing Chinese nationals engaging in online gambling promotion and illegal money lending. The investigation covered three houses. At the first house, No. 138/90, six Chinese men were found busy answering phones, handling loan inquiries from customers, and a Cambodian woman was working as a housemaid.
More than 100 mobile phones and four laptop computers were seized here. The second house, No. 138/59, on the second floor, had eight Chinese nationals and nine computers along with numerous mobile phones. The third house, No. 138/77, had five Chinese nationals, two of whom were operating computers and quickly shut them down upon the officers’ arrival.
Officers revealed that these three groups of Chinese nationals were interconnected. The first house was responsible for enticing individuals to participate in online gambling. The second house was involved in illegal money lending to fellow Chinese nationals. The third house was purportedly a supply depot, with the other two houses collecting food from this location. However, police remain sceptical of this claim and plan to investigate further to confirm the details.
Initially, 20 Chinese nationals and one Cambodian housemaid were detained, along with computers, mobile phones, and a sum of cash. They were handed over to investigators with charges of working without permission. Additional charges may follow pending further investigation, said a police spokesperson.
“The coordination among the three houses indicates a well-organised operation, and we have yet to uncover the full extent of their illegal activities.”
The confiscated equipment, including the computers and mobile phones, will be thoroughly examined to gather further evidence and identify other potential members of the gang. The investigation aims to track down the financial trails and communication networks used by the suspects, reported KhaoSod.
