Phayao: Central Investigation Police have successfully apprehended a young man accused of transporting cash for a call center gang, concealing the money in a truck bound for a neighboring country.
According to Thai News Agency, the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) was alerted by a victim who had been deceived by a scammer they encountered on an online platform. The scam involved convincing the victim to invest in cryptocurrency trading, leading to a loss of 1.8 million baht. Investigations revealed that the money was funneled through several mule accounts and laundered through various methods, including immediate cash withdrawals in Phayao Province, Wallet transactions, cryptocurrency exchanges, and the purchase of luxury cars.
The authorities gathered sufficient evidence to secure an arrest warrant from the court, initiating Operation ‘FOX Hunt’ to dismantle the fraudulent FOX Wallet investment scam gang. Eight suspects were detained, comprising individuals identified as black Chinese and black Thais, with assets valued at over 3 million baht confiscated. Further probing indicated that two of the apprehended suspects were responsible for withdrawing cash from mule accounts and forwarding it to Laotian recipients.
The investigation led to the arrest of Mr. Amphon, aged 36, who was tasked with transporting 1-2 million baht daily across the border to deliver to beneficiaries in Laos. An arrest warrant was issued for Mr. Amphon on charges of ‘colluding to defraud the public, deceiving and collusion to enter a computer system that caused damage to the public, colluding to launder money and colluding to be a member of a triad.’ Mr. Amphon, who worked as a truck driver and was initially paid 200 baht daily to transport stones, claimed he was later approached by a Laotian to move cash across the border for a fee of 1,000-2,000 baht per trip. He admitted to completing this task over ten times but professed ignorance of the money’s illegal origins.
The police are committed to expediting a comprehensive investigation and proceeding with legal action. They also issued a public advisory cautioning against engaging with individuals soliciting investment opportunities or offering cash transportation jobs, as these could be linked to criminal enterprises.