"Big Ran" ordered Pol. Lt. Gen. Nopphasin to conduct Operation "Crackdown on Foreign Nominee Networks Phase 4" targeting land holdings in Chonburi Province on behalf of foreigners, involving 41 targets across 33 companies with damages totaling 235 million baht. Tags: [law enforcement, nominee networks, land ownership, Chonburi, foreign investment, property crime]
On 17 July, Pol. Gen. Samran Nualma, Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police, along with Pol. Lt. Gen. Nopphasin Poolsawat, Chief of the Office of the Police Commissioner; Pol. Lt. Gen. Chatchai Surachatepong, Commander of Region 2; Pol. Maj. Gen. Songprod Sirisukha, Commander of Immigration Division 3; and Pol. Maj. Gen. Kiattisak Sarathongoi, Commander of Investigation Division Region 2, joined forces with the Governor of Chonburi Province, the Department of Business Development, and the Department of Lands. Over 200 police officers launched Operation "Crackdown on Foreign Nominee Networks Phase 4" in Chonburi, targeting 41 locations and 33 companies with damages amounting to 235 million baht.Tags: [law enforcement, police operation, Chonburi, foreign nominee, land crime, government agencies]
Pol. Gen. Samran stated that this operation stemmed from the arrest of a foreign woman acting as a real estate broker involved in nominee cases in Chonburi in April 2026. Immigration Police and Provincial Police of Chonburi expanded the investigation in collaboration with relevant agencies. They found that Chonburi has 76,343 registered legal entities, with 28,463 having foreign shareholders. The Department of Business Development identified 14,264 entities suspected of using "nominees".Tags: [investigation, foreign shareholders, legal entities, nominee companies, Chonburi, police]
Additionally, two licensed Thai accountants were found to hold shares in numerous companies. One held shares in 146 companies valued at approximately 142 million baht, while the other held shares in 40 companies valued at about 74 million baht. These holdings are linked to land ownership in a real estate project in Chonburi.Tags: [accountants, shareholding, nominee networks, real estate, Chonburi]
Further investigation revealed a group of Russians using websites in Russia to advertise houses for sale and rent, referring to a village in Chonburi as the “Russian Village.” It was discovered that they collaborated with Thais and accountants to establish companies owning detached houses in six projects under “S. Pattaya,” totaling approximately 775 houses valued over 5 billion baht, through 495 legal entities.Tags: [foreign nationals, real estate, Russian community, Chonburi, nominee companies]
In-depth checks showed that 435 of these companies are foreign legal entities. Among them, 19 companies are suspected of using nominees, and 14 foreign entities hold over 50% shares while owning land, totaling 33 target companies.Tags: [legal investigation, foreign ownership, nominee suspicion, land holding, Chonburi]
Chonburi Immigration Police filed complaints against the Russian group and related parties, particularly the “Mr. I” group, which set up companies holding houses for resale, and the “B family” group, which established companies holding houses for rental. These actions violate the Foreign Business Act B.E. 2542, the Land Code, and related laws.Tags: [legal action, foreign business law, land law, Russian suspects, Chonburi]
Investigators requested Pattaya Provincial Court to issue arrest warrants for 4 Russians and search warrants for 41 locations. The operation successfully arrested all four suspects and seized company registration documents, accounting records, computers, mobile phones, and a large amount of electronic data for further examination and investigation into networks domestically and abroad.Tags: [arrests, search warrants, evidence seizure, investigation, international network]
The Royal Thai Police emphasized that this operation aligns with government policy to combat the use of nominees to circumvent Thai laws, especially regarding land ownership and business activities reserved for Thais. They reaffirmed their commitment to conducting prosecutions carefully, fairly, and based on evidence to protect national interests and uphold confidence in the legal system.Tags: [government policy, law enforcement, legal compliance, land ownership, national interest]
They confirmed ongoing efforts to expand the crackdown on nominee networks nationwide and urged public cooperation by reporting foreign investment-related violations to any police station or the 24-hour hotline 1599.Tags: [public cooperation, hotline, nominee crackdown, national enforcement]
Mr. Narit Niramaiwong, Governor of Chonburi Province, said that investigating nominee companies and foreign land holdings is a key government policy requiring integrated cooperation among multiple agencies, including in-depth investigations, shareholder structure reviews, and financial tracing to close loopholes used to evade Thai law.Tags: [governor statement, government policy, interagency cooperation, investigation, legal loopholes]
The Governor emphasized that this operation aims to protect national interests and urged all officials to perform their duties with honesty, carefulness, and strict adherence to the law.Tags: [official conduct, national interest, law enforcement, integrity, Chonburi]