CIB Arrests Chef Over Fake Accounts and Drug Links

Picture courtesy of Naewna.

Bangkok police have arrested a 25-year-old assistant chef at an Italian restaurant in Sukhumvit, suspected of involvement in fraudulent bank accounts and illegal drugs after evading authorities for more than three years.

The suspect, identified as Apichart, was detained on 21 August by officers from the Economic Crime Suppression Division of  The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), who had been tracking him under a warrant issued by Phuket Provincial Court on 8 December 2022.

Apichart allegedly provided false personal information and set up bank accounts that were later misused, causing potential financial harm to the public. Authorities located him working at a restaurant in Soi Sukhumvit 33, where he was reportedly serving as an assistant chef. He was apprehended on the restaurant’s third floor.

During initial questioning, the suspect denied wrongdoing, claiming he had merely opened bank accounts for friends and was unaware they were being used for criminal purposes, including drug trafficking.

Apichart has been handed over to Phuket police for further investigation and prosecution, while authorities continue to pursue others potentially involved in the case.

  Adapted by Asean Now from Naewna 2025-08-23