Thai man arrested in US on child porn charge

BANGKOK / PHUKET: A Thai man was arrested in the United States yesterday on charges of possessing and distributing child pornography.

After a five-week undercover investigation in Joplin, Missouri, conducted by the Cyber Crimes Unit of the Barry County Sheriff’s Department and the Cassville Police Department, 36 year-old Sira Noitip was arrested at his Joplin residence.

According to a Crime Scene Investigation blog, the police said that Sira was in the United States on a Tourist Visa and that officers with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICEA) have placed a detainment order on him.

A news release from the Joplin Police Department said that the United States Attorney’s Office in Springfield, Missouri is in the process of filing federal child porn charges against Noitip as well.

Noitip is scheduled to be transferred to federal custody next Monday, the blog said.

In a “flip side” arrest by Thai Tourist Police last week, 31-year-old Ukrainian Maxsim Shynkarenko was apprehended in Phuket and turned over to the Bangkok Criminal Court where he faces extradition to the United States. Although there are no charges against him in Thailand, Shynkarenko is wanted in the U.S. on five charges, including child pornography.

The Phuket arrest followed cooperation between the Thai police and the American ICEA.

It was not immediately known whether or not there is any connection between the two suspects or their arrests.

The Gazette report on the Phuket arrest is available here.

— Nation & Gazette Reporters