PATTAYA, November 24th, 2025 – A joint operation by Tourist Police Division 2, Regional Police Investigation Units, and Banglamung District Administration officials resulted in the arrest of nine people involved in a mule-bank-account recruitment network this week.
Acting on intelligence from concerned citizens, investigators discovered a Facebook advertisement in the “Jobs in Pattaya” groups offering 3,000–4,000 baht per bank account for people willing to open accounts on behalf of others. The post read: “Urgently need cash-withdrawal in Pattaya – 3-4K per account, can bring friends.”
Following national policy directives from the Royal Thai Police and Tourist Police Commander Pol. Lt. Gen. Saksirot Phuek-am to aggressively target call-centre and online scam networks, officers deployed an undercover operative who contacted the recruiter via Line.
The cautious agent repeatedly changed meeting locations to evade surveillance before finally agreeing to meet the operative at a short-stay hotel in South Pattaya. There, the suspect paid the operative an advance of 2,500 baht and later accompanied him to open a new bank account and purchase a mobile SIM card under the operative’s name.
The pair arranged to meet again the following day at the same hotel so the recruiter could provide instructions on receiving and withdrawing illicit funds. As soon as the operative gave the pre-arranged signal, waiting officers stormed the room.
Three recruiters attempted to flee but were quickly surrounded and detained. A search of an adjacent room used to house recruited individuals revealed six more suspects relaxing while openly using drugs that had been provided by the recruiters. Drug paraphernalia and a quantity of methamphetamine (“yaba”) were seized.
In total, authorities arrested:
– 3 recruiters/agents running the mule-account operation
– 6 recruited individuals found consuming drugs in the second room
All nine suspects initially denied wrongdoing, but officers took them to Pattaya Police Station for further interrogation. Additional charges related to drug possession and distribution are expected, while investigators continue to trace links to larger call-centre and online scam syndicates.
The operation is part of an intensified nationwide crackdown on “mule accounts,” which are the primary channel used by transnational cybercrime gangs to launder money obtained through fraud.
