PATTAYA, Thailand – Thailand’s Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) has unleashed a sweeping nationwide crackdown on mafia figures, contract killers, and illegal weapons networks ahead of the February 8 election, arresting 92 suspects and seizing more than 100 firearms in an operation officials say is aimed at preventing election-related violence before it begins.
Announcing the results at CIB headquarters on Friday (Feb 6), Commissioner Pol. Lt. Gen. Natthasak Chaowanasai delivered a blunt warning to criminal networks operating in the political shadows. “Votes must not be stained with blood,” he said, stressing that authorities would not tolerate intimidation, hired violence, or the use of illegal weapons to influence the democratic process.
The operation, code-named “Zero Shadow,” was carried out between December 25, 2025, and February 1, 2026, with coordinated raids at 130 locations across the country. Police targeted individuals and networks known for exerting local influence through violence, firearms trafficking, and contract killings, particularly during past election periods.
Authorities arrested 92 suspects, including individuals wanted on major warrants for murder, attempted murder, and weapons offenses. Officers seized more than 100 firearms, thousands of rounds of ammunition, and nearly 7 million baht in cash, along with mobile phones and bank records believed to link suspects to broader criminal networks.
Senior officers highlighted several major breakthroughs, including the dismantling of an assassination team linked to the killing of a local subdistrict headman in the south, with arrests spanning multiple provinces. Police also broke up a kidnapping-for-ransom gang operating across southern Thailand and shut down a major online ammunition trafficking network.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Natthasak said the scale of the seizures reflected the seriousness of the threat authorities believe such groups pose during election periods. He added that removing weapons from circulation now was critical to preventing violence later.
“This operation is a clear signal,” he said. “There is no safe haven for those who think elections are an opportunity for violence.”
Police said heightened surveillance and enforcement will remain in place through election day to ensure voters can exercise their rights safely and without fear.
