Samui Bandidos

[Samui Coconut]

Samui 'Bandidos gang' busted

(dpa) - Police have arrested three members of the Bandidos, an international motorcycle gang allegedly engaged in Mafia-type activities, such as the drug trade and money laundering.

About 100 officers with the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), crime-suppression police and anti-money-laundering force participated in the raid on the suspects' hilltop house-cum-office on Samui Island, a popular tourist resort situated 450 kilometres south of Bangkok in the Gulf of Thailand.

"We've been getting complaints for some time about this gang running protection rackets, forcing small businesses to sell out to them and engaging in illegal land sales," said a DSI spokesman, Colonel Piyawat Kingkeow.

Arrested were two British nationals - Peter Watkin-Jones, 40, and Crispin John Grandvil Papon-Smith, 40 - and Danish national Kim Lindegaard Nielsen, 36.

The gang's suspected leader, Danish national Peter Buch Rosenberg, 35, had recently left the island for Denmark. Thailand plans to request his extradition to face criminal charges in the kingdom, Piyawat said.

"This gang has been under police observation for money-laundering activities for some time now," said the colonel, who noted that the suspects had made more than 300 bank transactions over the past two years worth 3 billion baht (79 million dollars).

Samui residents have lodged complaints against the foreigners for asking them for protection money, forcing restaurants and small businesses to sell out to them and buying and selling land to foreigners using forged documents.

The Danish embassy to Thailand has been cooperating with Thai police in investigating the gang.

"The Bandidos started out as an American motorcycle gang, riding Harley Davidsons and so on, and eventually, they spread to Europe," Piyawat said. "But they aren't all criminals, only about 1 per cent."

The DSI spokesman denied that the Bandidos had anything to do with another land scandal that was recently uncovered on Samui, involving tracts of forest reserves being sold to investors, some of whom were alleged to be powerful politicians.

[Tarragona]

Crispin John Grandvil Papon-Smith

You can imagine the childhood the poor guy had with that name. I'm not surprised it's come to this.

[sbk]

Please see the thread in the News section. Thanks

Topic closed due to repeat information.