Bangkok: The Narcotics Suppression Bureau commander confirmed that the arrest of Boonrit Raorungroj, a People's Party parliamentary candidate for Constituency 33, and his associates, linked to a money laundering operation, was based on evidence and not motivated by political reasons. Financial investigations disclosed connections to 50 dummy accounts with substantial monthly turnovers.
According to Thai News Agency, narcotics suppression police detained Boonrit, known as Bank, along with four others out of seven suspects wanted on arrest warrants. These arrests were made following coordinated searches at 22 locations across Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Lopburi, and Trang. Authorities seized assets worth over 200 million baht from the network.
This arrest is a continuation of an investigation into seven drug trafficking cases, which exposed financial links to four other companies with seven directors frequently changing roles. This information was shared with the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO), leading to the discovery of suspicious bank transactions within these companies. Based on this evidence, the court issued arrest warrants for all seven suspects on money laundering charges.
During questioning, Boonrit admitted that he was registered as a director of a company, claiming involvement in logistics and oil trading. However, he failed to clarify the source of the company's income, which reportedly exceeded billions of baht monthly.
The network registered four companies between 2024 and 2025, with a total turnover surpassing 20 billion baht. Despite this, no business operations were found, lacking any legitimate income sources. Information indicated connections to drug trafficking networks in neighboring countries, with drugs smuggled into Thailand and distributed to Taiwan.
The issuance of an arrest warrant for the People's Party parliamentary candidate was based on evidence, not political motives. The police acted on the evidence provided, and it was revealed that Boonrit was a parliamentary candidate only after the arrest.
The investigation revealed financial trails linked to 50 accomplice accounts used for payments to the pilot gang and for overseas transfers. Current investigations are delving into details of each individual's actions, including allegations that some suspects paid monthly salaries to parliamentary candidates.
Seized assets include 8 houses, 14 condominiums, several cars, and luxury items such as dolls and guitars, totaling approximately 200 million baht. Additionally, 50 bank accounts have been frozen as part of the investigation.