231 arrests in Phuket in crackdown on foreigners using Thai nominees
A total of 231 people, including 98 foreigners, have been arrested by the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) police in a crackdown on foreigners using Thai nominees to help establish and conduct business illegally in Phuket province.
The CIB said on Friday that along with foreigners, 37 Thais and 96 juristic persons were arrested under the so-called “nominee sweep operation” with the goal of suppressing economic crimes in the southern province that is one of the country’s top destinations for foreign tourists.
Bureau chief Pol Lt-General Jirabhop Bhuridej said the operation stemmed from the role of a 45-year-old Russian woman, identified only as Iana, who had entered Thailand with her family in November 2012.
The woman is a director and shareholder of nine companies in Phuket, seven of which are engaged in real estate, while the other two are in service and tour guide. These companies have a combined registered capital of 38 million baht, he said.
Police said the network consists of several Russian and Thai nationals, with the latter helping with the registration of companies to avoid legal restrictions and requirements on foreign companies. The network’s assets include several real estate properties in the province worth more than 900 million baht, police added.
Jirabhop said that from 2019 to March 2024, a total of 92,764 Russian nationals had entered Phuket, accounting for 81% of total Russian arrivals in all Thai provinces.
In the first three months of this year alone, 59,717 Russians had landed in Phuket, he said.
Meanwhile, the number of Russian companies registered in the province has grown to 1,603 since 2023.
This number was 50 times higher than from 2016-2022, he pointed out.
