Pak Tho police showcased their success in intercepting a covered pickup truck smuggling 26 Myanmar migrant workers, intended for delivery to southern Thailand. Inside, the vehicle was astonishingly modified into two levels, packed tightly, with ventilation fans installed. The driver admitted to receiving 2,000 baht per person and expected to earn 50,000 baht total if the operation succeeded. He had done this twice before.
At 14:00 on 7 May 2026, Pol. Col. Pallop Suriyakul Na Ayutthaya, Deputy Commander of Ratchaburi Provincial Police, received a tip about a suspicious pickup truck likely smuggling migrant workers along Phetkasem Road through Pak Tho district, heading south. He coordinated with Pol. Col. Amnuay Denweha, Chief of Pak Tho Police Station, to deploy forces to intercept the vehicle near the Pak Tho intersection bridge southbound.
Officers soon spotted a white Toyota Revo single-cab pickup with license plate 4ฒข-4777 Bangkok. The rear was a covered compartment heavily loaded, with the truck’s back nearly touching the road. Police blocked the vehicle and inspected it, detaining the driver, 23-year-old Kantamet Suebsinnantaporn, for further questioning.
Upon opening the rear covered compartment, officers found male and female migrant workers tightly packed inside. The interior was modified into two levels: the upper level held men sitting curled up, while the lower level held women sitting on backpacks used as cushions. Several small fans were installed to improve ventilation. All were ordered out and counted—12 women and 14 men, totaling 26 people.
Additionally, all workers wore red threads tied around their right wrists, believed to symbolize their intended work destination. None had identification documents or spoke Thai, requiring interpreters. Initial inquiries confirmed they were Myanmar nationals who entered illegally, each paying a 5,800 baht broker fee, awaiting pickup to continue to their workplace in Hat Yai district, Songkhla province.
During interrogation, Kantamet stated he was hired to pick up migrant workers hiding in a forest near Chom Bueng district to transport them to Hat Yai, Songkhla. He was paid 2,000 baht per person, expecting 50,000 baht this time, having done it twice before.
Initially, Pol. Col. Pallop Suriyakul Na Ayutthaya, Deputy Commander of Ratchaburi Provincial Police, alongside Samart Tianet, Pak Tho district chief, Wimon Inklai, Pak Tho district officer, and officials from Ratchaburi provincial labor department, jointly verified the workers’ origins in Myanmar and their intended job types. They are expanding the investigation to identify brokers and associated employers, using data recovered from the driver’s mobile phone to trace involved parties.
Authorities charged Kantamet Suebsinnantaporn with illegally transporting migrant workers into the kingdom. The 26 migrant workers were charged with illegal entry. All were handed over to Pol. Lt. Sutthipan Samkhumpim, investigator at Pak Tho Police Station, for legal proceedings.