Picture courtesy of Naewna.

 

Two Malaysian nationals have been arrested, after allegedly smuggling illegal telecommunication equipment, which is believed to be destined for a Thai-based call centre scam operation.

 

The arrests were carried out by the Songkhla Immigration Bureau in collaboration with Border Patrol Police 437 and Sadao Provincial Police, following an intensified national crackdown on transnational crime and cross-border threats, as ordered by Police General Kittirat Phanpet, Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police.

 

The suspects, identified as Eugene 37, and Tan 25, both Malaysian nationals, entered Thailand via the Sadao Immigration Checkpoint on 12 June. Acting on intelligence, officers detained the two men separately at a local 7-Eleven store in Ban Dan Nok and at a condominium in the Sadao district of Songkhla.

 

Seized from the suspects were eight SIM box devices and eight internet routers fitted with SIM cards, equipment classified under Thai law as radio communication devices, which require official authorisation to possess or operate.

 

According to investigators, the devices were in full working condition and not commercially available within Thailand, leading authorities to believe they had been smuggled from a neighbouring country. The suspects claimed the equipment was intended for CCTV data storage, but this explanation was contradicted by technical inspections.

 

As a result, both men were charged under Section 246 of the Customs Act B.E. 2560 (2017) and Section 6 of the Radio Communications Act B.E. 2498 (1955) for unlawful possession and importation of communication devices.

 

Police Major General Songprod Sirisukha, Commander of Immigration Division 6, stated that the operation reflected successful inter-agency cooperation. It also underscored the immigration bureau’s ongoing efforts to disrupt the cross-border activities of foreign nationals involved in illegal enterprises, particularly those linked to call centre syndicates targeting victims in Thailand and abroad.

 

The suspects and confiscated equipment have been handed over to investigators at Sadao Police Station for further legal proceedings.

 

Authorities emphasised that the crackdown is part of a broader directive led by senior Royal Thai Police officers to tighten border security and bolster public confidence by suppressing foreign-led criminal networks.

 

 

  Adapted by Asean Now from Naewna 2025-06-17

 

 

 

At least they are wearing masks unlike every single officer.

And it takes 15 to arrest just 2 ??