Thailand's Central Investigation Bureau on Thursday announced a series of raids on a human trafficking and child sexual exploitation ring operating through a secret Discord server named “Monarch V2” or “Monarch”.
The operation, dubbed “Switch-Off Discord Monarch,” targeted six locations across Nakhon Phanom, Kamphaeng Phet, Pathum Thani, Samut Prakan, and Ubon Ratchathani provinces, resulting in the arrest of 11 suspects, including seven administrators and four women over 18 who performed explicit live shows.
The Central Investigation Bureau announced successful raids on a human trafficking and child sexual exploitation ring. (Photo: ตำรวจสอบสวนกลาง Facebook page)
Police seized 17 mobile phones, two computers, one laptop, three tablets, four pieces of lighting equipment, cosplay costumes and sex toys used in the illicit livestreams. The server had 117,872 members and systematically organised content into categories, with the “Nightclub” section hosting live explicit shows by underage girls, who were coerced into partial nudity to entice viewers to pay for access to private explicit content groups.
Undercover officers revealed that the administrators used deceptive tactics, such as a “Top 1” competition promising intimate encounters with performers to encourage viewers to donate money. However, these promises were false, with fake accounts artificially inflating bids to outcompete genuine donors, who lost their money without a refund.
Financial investigations showed that from Jan 1 to May 12, 2025, the ring received over 2.1 million baht from 7,803 transactions, mostly from sales of access to private explicit content channels.
Authorities identified six underage girls involved, rescuing one 17-year-old victim who testified she was recruited via Discord to livestream explicit content, with commissions deducted – 50% for minors and 25% for adults – under the guise of “risk fees”.
Police said that all suspects confessed and are now facing prosecution for human trafficking and child sexual exploitation offences. The operation highlights the growing use of online platforms by criminal networks to exploit children and the ongoing efforts to dismantle such rings.