Arrest warrants have been issued for 11 suspects, including Pol Lt Col Santhana Prayoonrat, a former Special Branch deputy superintendent, for allegedly extorting money from vendors at Don Muang New Market.
Pol Maj Gen Surachate Hakparn, deputy commissioner of the Tourist Police Bureau, said yesterday that Pol Lt Col Santhana and 10 others face extortion charges.
He said police at Don Muang station decided to seek the arrest warrants after interviewing more than 200 witnesses, including the vendors at the market, and reviewing material evidence confiscated from the market's head office.
Pol Lt Col Santhana, a former superintendent at the Special Branch Police, is an adviser to Don Muang New Market, parts of which were also allegedly built illegally.
He reportedly tried to block police during a raid carried last week at the market, which is near Don Mueang airport.
According to the deputy tourist police chief, Pol Lt Col Santhana alone faces nine arrest warrants for various acts of alleged extortion which is listed as an offence under the anti-money laundering law.
"As for the claim that the money was collected for maintaining public services at the market, we think that he [Pol Lt Col Santhana] owes an explanation to the court," he said.
Pol Maj Gen Surachate said the remaining suspects, who were not identified, face a total of 36 warrants for alleged acts of extortion.
Armed with the warrants, the deputy tourist police chief yesterday led a raid on Pol Lt Col Santhana's condominium in Bangkok's Phaya Thai district but found no trace of the suspect.
The condominium's management tried to unlock the door for 15 minutes without success, so authorities read out the arrest warrants and broke down the door. No press were allowed inside during the search.
Meanwhile, Pol Lt Col Santhana said yesterday after learning about the arrest warrants that he would turn himself in to police to face charges today.
The extortion allegations against Pol Col Santhana surfaced after police and officials from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) raided hundreds of shops at the market last week in an attempt to tackle substandard and unlicenced cosmetics and food supplements.
The crackdown followed a police investigation into Magic Skin Co, which allegedly produced and marketed some of the products and hired a number of stars to endorse them.
In a related development, the FDA yesterday announced the withdrawal of a number of Lyn's products together with an order to suspend the operating licence of the company's manufacturing plant in Pathum Thani province for 120 days.
The FDA announced on April 25 that it had found Bisacodyl in Lyn's FS-Three supplement and Sibutramine and Orlistat in the Block Burn Break Build supplement, which contravene the Food Act B.E. 2522.
At least eight actors, actresses, and celebrities have been questioned by the police after endorsing or reviewing these and similar products.
Pol Lt Col Santhana Prayoonrat, adviser to Don Muang New Market, says he will surrender to face extortion charges today. left Police officers, accompanied by food and drug authorities, inspect food supplements and other products during a raid at VHP Vital Health Products in Pathum Thani's Lam Luk Ka district. Chemical substances found at the premises were seized. Pornprom Satrabhaya