Police have arrested seven French, Hungarian, Italian and Taiwanese suspects who fled to Thailand after allegedly committing crimes ranging from drug trafficking to fraud and murder.
Drug trafficking suspects are taken before reporters at the Immigration Bureau in Bangkok. The French, Hungarian, Italian and Taiwanese suspects were arrested separately by Thai authorities after having allegedly committed crimes overseas. Apichart Jinakul
They were nabbed by four teams of police from the Immigration Bureau, which is in the midst of a crackdown on "a large number of transnational criminal suspects" who use Thailand as a hideout, said bureau acting chief Pol Lt Gen Sakda Chuenphakdi yesterday.
In the first case, officers arrested French national Jornatan Piant, 40, who is wanted by French authorities for allegedly smuggling marijuana from Spain to France in 2012.
Immigration police were informed of his escape from France by Interpol. They later found him with his wife and children on Koh Samui.
The suspect had allegedly used a fake passport to enter Thailand on July 25.
Officers found Mr Piant faces another seven arrest warrants issued for robbery and assault.
Hungarian national Antal Racz, 40, was also arrested for his involvement in the death of two people and injury of 14 others in his home country in 2005.
He was charged with murder and illegal use of weaponry after a brawl with a rival family.
Mr Racz was sentenced to life imprisonment by a Hungarian court, but managed to flee Hungary for Thailand six years ago.
He was arrested at his house in Prachuap Khiri Khan's Hua Hin district.
Italian national Francesco Galdelli, 52, was sentenced by a Milan court to eight years and four months in jail after being found guilty of a range of crimes, including fraud and selling pirated goods in Italy.
Immigration officers in Chon Buri nabbed him on July 25 after he contacted the staff of the Italian embassy in Pattaya.
Four Taiwanese nationals were arrested for allegedly running a call centre in the Cambodian capital where they extorted money from victims.
Chang Chia Wei, 18, Wang Yi Chieh, 35, Wu Yu Shuo, 33, and Chen Li Yen, 42, fled Cambodia for Thailand on July 12 after a crackdown was launched targeting their 21-member gang.
They were arrested by immigration police on July 24 while they were walking in front of Empire Tower in Bangkok.