Police Intercept 9 Illegal Migrants en Route to Bangkok

Thai authorities have intercepted nine migrants, eight Chinese nationals and one from Myanmar, who were attempting to enter illegally, with officials suspecting links to a scam network. The group was stopped in Sa Kaeo province while travelling in a pickup truck, and all have been taken into custody for legal proceedings.

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The arrests followed a joint operation on 2 May 2026 involving the Central Investigation Bureau, Prachin Buri-Sa Kaeo Highway Police, and Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Division officers. Acting on intelligence, officers tracked a red pickup truck with a canopy suspected of transporting illegal migrants along Highway 317 between Chanthaburi and Sa Kaeo.

The vehicle was intercepted in Wang Nam Yen district after midnight on 1 May. Inside, police found one Thai driver and nine undocumented migrants, comprising seven Chinese men, one Chinese woman and one Myanmar national, all without valid entry documents.

The driver admitted to being hired to transport the group to Bangkok. Authorities charged the driver with assisting and harbouring illegal migrants, while all nine migrants face charges of illegal entry. The suspects were handed over to investigators at Wang Nam Yen Police Station for further legal action.

Police believe the group may be connected to a call centre scam network and have launched an expanded investigation to identify wider links. Officers are continuing to gather evidence and pursue additional suspects potentially involved in organising the operation.

One of the Chinese suspects reported illness while in custody on the morning of 2 May and was taken to Wang Nam Yen Hospital for initial treatment. The remaining detainees continue to be held pending further proceedings.

Kaoded reported that all suspects are expected to be transferred to Sa Kaeo Provincial Court for a detention hearing on the morning of 3 May 2026, as investigators move forward with the case.

Pictures courtesy of kaoded

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Adapted by ASEAN Now Kaoded 3 May 2026