Chinese casino kingpin linked to Shwe Kokko arrested in Thailand
A fugitive originally from China who travelled on a Saint Kitts and Nevis passport was arrested in Pattaya over a 239-platform betting network linked to Shwe Kokko
- A 32-year-old suspect was arrested by Thai police during a raid on a luxury pool villa in Pattaya.
- He is accused of being a key member of an online gambling network that managed 239 platforms with a turnover of THB 13.18 billion.
- The arrest followed intelligence from the Chinese embassy, as the suspect was wanted by authorities in China and will be deported to face legal action.
The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), through its Special Operations Division, joined the Immigration Bureau to arrest a 32-year-old suspect at a luxury pool villa in Soi Jomtien 14 in Pattaya’s Bang Lamung district, Chonburi.
Police said he was classed as a prohibited person under Section 12(7) of Thailand’s Immigration Act 1979, which covers people believed to threaten society, public peace, public safety or national security, as well as those wanted by foreign authorities.
Authorities said the case followed intelligence from the Chinese embassy in Thailand, which identified the suspect as a key member of an online gambling mafia network directly linked to the grey-zone empire behind Shwe Kokko in Myanmar.
Investigators said he helped run 239 online gambling platforms with more than 330,000 Chinese gamblers and a turnover of THB13.18 billion.
Police said China wanted him urgently and that he had tried to evade arrest by changing nationality and using a Saint Kitts and Nevis passport to enter Thailand.
He then kept a low profile at an upscale residence in Bangkok before heading to Pattaya.
After learning that he planned to leave his hideout for a trip to Pattaya, officers followed him to a luxury beachfront pool villa in Jomtien and moved in at dawn.
The suspect was then handed over to investigators, acknowledged that his visa had been revoked, and is now being processed for removal from Thailand so he can face legal punishment in China.
The operation was carried out under the direction of the CIB commissioner, the commander of the Special Operations Division, the commissioner of the Immigration Bureau and other senior officers.
