Highway police and the Anti-Human Trafficking Division intercepted a Toyota van on 20 June 2026, carrying nine illegal migrants at a PTT petrol station in Tambon Songtham, Mueang Kamphaeng Phet, as the vehicle travelled towards the Thai-Myanmar border. The group was suspected of being transported to work for scam networks in Myanmar, and the operation led to the immediate arrest of those involved.
Get today's headlines by email 
The operation followed urgent intelligence provided by a former scam centre victim in Dubai, who reported receiving messages from foreign nationals requesting help while being held inside a moving vehicle. Acting on the tip, officers tracked the van and coordinated a stop along its route.
Inside the vehicle, police found nine migrants of multiple nationalities: four from Nigeria, two from India, one from Cameroon, one from Uganda and one from Vietnam. The driver was identified as 31-year-old Myanmar national Than So Tun.
During questioning, the driver admitted he had been hired via Telegram by an alleged broker known as “Ko Yae” to collect passengers from Bang Kapi and Suvarnabhumi area and transport them to Tak province for onward crossing into Myanmar. He said he was paid 2,000 baht per person and confirmed this was the third vehicle in a coordinated trafficking chain, with all migrants originally entering from Cambodia.
Authorities stated the case is being treated as part of a wider transnational human trafficking and scam network investigation. The migrants were found to have either no valid documentation or had entered Thailand through irregular border routes.
Pictures courtesy of Daily News
All suspects have been taken to Songtham Police Station for legal proceedings, while investigators prepare to expand the case to identify senior members of the trafficking network and dismantle further operations along the route. The investigation remains ongoing as police are continuing enquiries into the wider network in Thailand.
Join the discussion? 
Already a member? 
Adapted by ASEAN Now Dailynews 22 June 2026