Five Russian gangsters were detained before the recent arrest in Chon Buri’s Sattahip district of Alexander Matusov, an alleged Russian mafia gang leader wanted by Interpol in connection with numerous murders, police said.
A security guard stands outside a house owned by Alexander Matusov, an alleged Russian mafia boss arrested on Monday in Chon Buri’s Sattahip district. Tawatchai Kemgumnerd
Andrei Krasnov, 47, and Sergei Khomenkov, 48, were arrested by immigration police in Pattaya, Chon Buri in early February after the authorities learned that the two suspects had extorted money from Pavel Zharkov, also a Russian national, said Pol Capt Thanadit Thueanchamnan, a deputy chief of Chon Buri’s immigration police.
Police had information that before their arrests in Thailand, both Mr Krasnov and Mr Khomenkov acted as extortionists in Russia and later fled to Thailand and went into hiding in Pattaya.
On Feb 20, Chon Buri immigration police detained Dmitry Ishmukhametov, a Russian national who had entered Thailand on a fake Czech passport, Pol Capt Thanadit said.
Police found that he had bought the fake passport for US$5,000 (162,323 baht) and had a criminal record for extortion in Khabarovsk city in Russia before fleeing to Thailand to live in Pattaya.
On June 2, Chon Buri immigration police arrested Mikhail Efimov, 45, an alleged Russian criminal wanted by Interpol, Pol Capt Thanadit said. Before this suspect came to Pattaya, he had allegedly conned a potential land buyer out of US$10,000. He was also thought to have conned a number of other victims and extorted money in Russia.
The fifth suspect, Atamas Andrey, was arrested on June 17 for entering Thailand on a fake Czech passport, Pol Capt Thanadit said.
Police were informedn that Mr Andrey was a Russian scam artist, who before fleeing to Thailand, had falsified documents about a crafted wood export company in a scam that cheated people out of 4 million rubles (3.8 million baht).
Mr Efimov will be deported to Moscow along with Mr Matusov on July 3 because both men face arrest warrants from Interpol and are regarded important criminal suspects in Russia, said Pol Capt Thanadit. An Interpol team from Russia is expected to arrive in Bangkok on Monday to meet Pol Gen Wutthi Liptapanlop, adviser to the Immigration Bureau.
The other four suspects were being detained in Pattaya, pending court hearings in the city, said Pol Capt Thanadit.
Mr Matusov was being detained at the bureau’s detention facility in Sun Phlu area of Bangkok. It is expected that he will be interrogated again by the Russian Interpol agents when they arrive on Monday.