Former Yakuza Gang Member Arrested for Call Centre Scam and Money Laundering

[Georgealbert]

 

Picture courtesy of Matichon.

 

Police have arrested six Japanese nationals in connection with call centre scams in two separate cases, including a former Yakuza gang member.

 

Pol. Gen. Thatchai Pitanilabutr, Inspector-General of the Royal Thai Police and Director of the Anti-Human Trafficking Centre, revealed details of the arrests, which were made following cooperation between Thai and Japanese authorities.

 

Case 1: Former Yakuza Member Apprehended

 

The first case was initiated when the Japanese Embassy in Thailand alerted the Immigration Bureau about a Japanese national wanted in Japan for assault, fraud, theft, and violations of the country’s Anti-Organised Crime Act. Authorities requested his deportation.

 

The suspect, identified as Yamaguchi, was located in the Sathorn area of Bangkok, where immigration officers arrested him. Further investigations revealed that Yamaguchi was a former Yakuza gang member and the leader of a call centre gang operating in Cambodia and Vietnam, targeting Japanese citizens.

 

Thai authorities discovered that Yamaguchi had been renting a luxury property in Sathorn for over 180,000 baht per month. He had also established a company called Last Samurai Japan in 2024, allegedly dealing in high-value art sales. Investigators suspect the company was a front for money laundering.

 

Acting on a search warrant, police raided Yamaguchi’s residence, where they discovered four other Japanese nationals, all of whom had previous criminal records in Japan. Authorities also found assets worth over 30 million baht in a digital wallet, which is now under investigation.

 

Yamaguchi was taken into custody, and Thai authorities are coordinating with Japanese officials for his extradition.

 

Case 2: Call Centre Gang Financier Captured

 

The second case involved Miyashita, a Japanese national wanted for theft. Thai authorities, working closely with their Japanese counterparts, tracked him down following a crackdown on call centre operations in neighbouring countries.

 

Miyashita was captured by a militant group and handed over to authorities. He later confessed to working as a financial officer for a call centre gang since January. He has been charged under Thailand’s immigration laws, and efforts are underway to extradite him to Japan.

 

Pol. Gen. Thatchai stated that Thailand and Japan would continue working together to combat transnational organised crime, particularly call centre scams.

 

-- 2025-03-21

 

 

[watchcat]

28 minutes ago, Georgealbert said:

Police have arrested six Japanese nationals in connection with call centre scams in two separate cases, including a former Yakuza gang member.

 

Thailand attracts all kind of hoodlums wonder why.