Police arrested 16 people in four provinces on Friday for alleged involvement in an online gambling network.
Officers seized bout 40 million baht worth of assets, including cars, motorcycles, cash, firearms, bankbooks, currency counters, mobile phones, land deeds and jewellery.
The arrests were the result of a police investigation following a tip-off by local residents who had noted signs of abnormal wealth among a gang of teenagers in Chiang Rai, said Pol Lt Gen Jirabhop Bhuridej, the CIB chief.
The gang was reportedly led by two teenage boys, identified as Boss Ton and Boss Mick. The teens had no specific sources of income so their wealth was highly suspicious, he said. The investigation revealed that the money came from the AK1688 gambling network.
Pol Lt Gen Jirabhop said the network was well organised, with members assigned specific responsibilities, including management of bank accounts and the monitoring of digital assets.
According to the police, the website has generated at least 200 million baht since 2021. All the cash was converted into digital assets, land deeds and gold, making it difficult for the police to detect. The suspects also planned to expand their platform to Laos, Pol Lt Gen Jirabhop said.
All 16 suspects were charged with promoting online gambling, illegal gatherings and money laundering. They denied all the charges.