DSI Arrests Woman Over Surrogacy Broker Role

Picture courtesy of SiamRath.

The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) has arrested a woman accused of acting as a broker in an illegal surrogacy operation supplying women to foreign clients, believed to be connected to a wider transnational criminal network.

The suspect, identified only as Ms Srisawat, was detained in the car park of a condominium in Bangkok’s Sukhumvit area. She was wanted under an arrest warrant issued by the Criminal Court on 9 July 2025 in connection with Special Case No. 87/2024.

She faces charges of arranging commercial surrogacy, acting as an intermediary in surrogacy services and conspiring with three or more persons in an organised group with links to international crime.

During the arrest, DSI officers informed the suspect of her rights under the Criminal Procedure Code and Thailand’s 2022 law, which requires continuous audio and video recording throughout detention and transfer. She was then handed over to investigators from the Foreign Affairs and International Crime Bureau to face legal proceedings.

The operation was carried out by the DSI’s Surveillance and Intelligence Centre following orders from Pol Lt Col Yutthana Praedam, DSI Director-General, and Pol Lt Col Jatupol Bongchommas, Deputy Director-General. They instructed special operations teams to track down suspects wanted in serious cross-border criminal cases and bring them to justice.

Thailand has long battled criminal networks exploiting loopholes in reproductive services, despite strict laws banning commercial surrogacy for foreigners. Authorities say this latest arrest marks another step in dismantling those networks.

  Adapted by Asean Now from SiamRath 2025-08-29