Pattaya Police Raid Villa, Arrest 12 Chinese Nationals Running Cross-Border Loan Sharking Op

[Georgealbert]

 

Pictures from raid.

 

Thai authorities have arrested 12 Chinese nationals in Pattaya for operating an illegal cross-border online loan business. The group, which had been running its operation from a pool villa, was caught in a raid led by senior police officers from Chonburi province.

 

The operation was conducted under a search warrant issued by the Pattaya Provincial Court. More than 20 officers, including tourist police and immigration officials, searched a lavish villa spanning over one rai in Nong Pla Lai, Bang Lamung district. The property comprised a large two-storey house and two smaller buildings.

 

During the raid, police arrested 11 men and one woman, all Chinese nationals. Officers seized 10 computers, 61 mobile phones, passports, electronic banking cards, and a sum of cash. A search of the computers revealed an active online loan business with a large turnover.

 

One of the suspects, speaking through a translator, admitted that they had been renting the villa for 150,000 baht per month since August 2024. Their scheme involved offering high-interest loans via the WeChat application to customers in China, with loan amounts ranging from 2,000 to 3,000 yuan (approximately 10,000–15,000 baht). The group charged an exorbitant interest rate of 30%. Employees reportedly earned monthly salaries between 15,000 and 20,000 baht, plus commissions.

 

 

Before relocating to Thailand, the group had operated in Dubai for five years but moved due to the high cost of living.

 

Police Colonel Chatree Suksiri, Deputy Commander of Chonburi Provincial Police, stated that most of the suspects had entered Thailand on tourist and student visas. Two individuals were found to have overstayed their visas. They now face charges of working illegally in Thailand, with further investigations ongoing to uncover additional offences and identify the leaders behind this transnational fraud scheme.

 

 

-- 2025-02-08

 

 

[jacko45k]

41 minutes ago, Georgealbert said:

Before relocating to Thailand, the group had operated in Dubai for five years but moved due to the high cost of living.

 

And perhaps the introduction of visa exempt (free) entry.