Highway police launched a dramatic pursuit to arrest a boxing camp leader smuggling migrants who fled into a village. He confessed to earning 5,000 baht per trip, using the money to support the boxing camp.
On 18 Aug 2026 GMT+7, reports stated that at about 02:00 on 17 Aug, Police Lieutenant Colonel Kamolpop Hanwet, head of Highway Police Station 5, Division 3, Highway Police Bureau, along with Prachinburi highway officers, patrolled Highway 359 in Khao Mai Kaeo district, Prachinburi province, near the border with Sa Kaeo province. This route is known for illegal migrant smuggling from Cambodia into Thailand to transit to third countries.
Later, a suspicious vehicle with Sa Kaeo license plates was seen speeding, carrying numerous bags in its pickup bed. Highway police signaled the driver to stop, but he refused and accelerated to flee. Officers called for backup to intercept the vehicle. The suspect then drove into a village in Wang Tha Chang subdistrict, Kabin Buri district, Prachinburi, lost control, and stopped on the roadside. The driver exited and fled into a nearby eucalyptus plantation.
Officers chased and apprehended the driver, Mr. Wichan, 42, along with eight Bangladeshis and one Myanmar national. They were charged with illegal entry into the kingdom and taken to Wang Takhian Police Station in Prachinburi for legal proceedings.
During interrogation, Mr. Wichan, the primary suspect, said he is a boxing camp leader in Aranyaprathet district, Sa Kaeo province. He admitted to being hired by a man named Na (full name unknown) for about three months to transport migrants, earning 5,000 baht per trip. He used this money to finance his boxing camp. He received migrants from the border area in Aranyaprathet district to deliver them to the bus station in Bangkok.
The migrants, suspects 2 to 11, stated they had been working in Cambodia, mostly as construction workers. They illegally entered Thailand intending to go to the Bangladesh Embassy in Thailand to arrange travel back home. Authorities remain skeptical of their statements and will continue investigating.
