300 ‘gamblers’ arrested in Nonthaburi PAD-led raid

The ministry's Provincial Administration Department (PAD) announced that this den was the largest they had raided, considering the number of patrons and the amount of money circulated.

The task force stormed into a large warehouse that had been turned into a gambling den in Soi Moo Ban Phra Pin in Nonthaburi’s Bang Yai district.

There were some 100 vehicles parked outside the warehouse, which was fenced by 3-metre-tall corrugated iron sheets.

Inside, the officials found a lot of gambling equipment, including 12 baccarat tables and dice game sets.

After the raid, the team called the Bang Yai Police Station and tasked it with taking over the legal process.

Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and PAD director-general Ansit Sampantharat also rushed to the scene to oversee the operation.

Speaking to the press later, Anutin said the den was being operated in defiance of the law.

He also warned the owners of the gambling den, saying there is no point in bribing officials because “no one is above the law”.

When asked if the law enforcers in the area would be held responsible for allowing the den to operate, Anutin said it was being run secretly, but it was the local police force’s duty to unearth unlawful operations.

“The PAD had been monitoring this den for some time, and decided to raid it as soon as it had evidence in hand,” Anutin said.

According to PAD sources, the sting began when some people wrote to Deputy Interior Minister Chada Thaised, complaining about suspected gambling activities in the warehouse.

The PAD task force first visited the den, dubbed Soi Phra Pin 3 den, on February 28.

The officials watched from outside and saw a lot of people entering and leaving the premises, which convinced them that gambling activities were going on outside.

Then on March 12, an undercover PAD agent was sent, disguised as a gambler pretending he had been invited by the den’s patrons, so the guards would let him pass.

The agent noted that the den’s staff members were equipped with two-way radios to contact each other. When the agent tried to enter the building, he encountered five security guards, who asked whether he knew anyone inside. The security guards said a new person could only enter if someone inside had recommended and endorsed them.

With no recommendations from inside, the agent realised he could not enter the building, which prompted the team to launch a raid.

Upon entering the building, the team found that it was protected by three iron doors and that it had a secret door at the back through which the boss and VIP guests could be evacuated in case of emergency.

There were also plenty of security guards deployed at various spots inside the premises as well as some 30 security cameras installed both inside and outside the building.