Police in Chiang Mai on Tuesday arrested a man wanted for allegedly laundering money from a drug racket by purchasing prize-winning lottery tickets at inflated prices.
Suphap Saeleng, 33, was arrested at a house in Baan Karun 2 housing estate in tambon San Nameng in San Sai district. Police confiscated assets including a 10 million baht house in Chiang Mai's San Sai district during the raid.
Police said Mr Suphap confessed that he had been laundering money for a drug smuggling ring. One of his methods was to purchase winning lottery tickets from the winners at a higher rate than the value of the prize.
He purchased one ticket that had won a prize of 30 million baht for 35 million baht from the winner. He said he had made similar purchases three to four times for the gang.
He also purchased properties, traded pricey fighting cocks and bet on cockfights with the money supplied by the same gang, he said.
The suspect was among a group of eight wanted by police in connection with a crackdown last year in Chiang Rai province.
On Dec 17 last year, three suspects were arrested and about 10 million tablets of methamphetamine were seized, said Pol Lt Gen Prachuap Wongsuk, commissioner of the Provincial Police Region 5.
After that, a combined team of local police, drug suppression police and the members of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board expanded the investigation into the busted drugs gang and successfully obtained arrest warrants for the other eight suspects, he said.