PATTAYA, Thailand – Thai immigration police and Crime Suppression Division officers have arrested four Chinese nationals wanted by authorities in China for their alleged roles in a violent transnational loan-sharking operation in Pattaya area on May 30. The joint operation followed directives from the Royal Thai Police to crack down on foreign criminal networks operating in Thailand. Investigators identified the suspects as key members of a Chinese gang accused of illegal lending, unlawful debt collection, and organized criminal activity.
According to Chinese authorities in Fengnan District, Tangshan City, arrest warrants were issued for the four suspects on March 20, 2025. Investigators allege that the gang provided high-interest loans to more than 40 victims in China, charging rates exceeding 30 percent per month. Authorities said that when borrowers failed to meet repayment deadlines, gang members allegedly kidnapped victims, confined them in rented rooms, and subjected them to violent intimidation and assaults to extort additional payments and assets.
The investigation began when Immigration Bureau Region 3 monitored suspicious foreign nationals living in Chonburi province. Intelligence sharing between immigration investigators and the Crime Suppression Division later confirmed that the suspects were wanted fugitives who had fled China and were hiding in Thailand. Police discovered that the group took extensive measures to avoid detection, including avoiding vehicle registration and conducting no transactions under their own names or passports. Following weeks of surveillance, officers tracked two suspects to a residence in Takhian Tia and two others to a luxury home in Huai Yai, both in Banglamung district. Simultaneous raids were carried out at the two properties, resulting in the arrest of all four suspects without incident.
Thai authorities subsequently revoked or moved to revoke the suspects’ permission to remain in the kingdom. One of the individuals was also found to have overstayed his visa by more than 245 days.
The four suspects have been transferred to immigration detention facilities in Bangkok and are expected to be deported to China to face prosecution. Officials also warned the public to avoid borrowing money from unauthorized lending applications or foreign-backed loan networks, citing the risk of predatory interest rates, illegal debt collection practices, and violent criminal activity. (TNA)
