The Thai Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) said it would request the court to order the confiscation of hundreds of assets - from land, luxury apartments, luxury cars, yachts to bank deposits - because the suspects could not prove their legal origin. Among them are Cambodian citizens and associates accused of operating in Thailand.
A series of "tycoons" named
AMLO confirms 4 major cases involving multiple suspects.
One case involves the businessman accused of being behind large-scale fraud schemes, Chen Zhi, founder and chairman of Prince Group in Cambodia. This person was arrested in Cambodia and brought back to China last month.
According to AMLO, authorities discovered signs of an online fraud, human trafficking and money laundering network related to Chen Zhi. The file has been transferred to prosecutors to request the court to confiscate 96 assets, worth about 345 million baht (11.1 million USD).
Another case targeted Kok An, the Cambodian casino boss nicknamed "Godfather Poipet", and his associates. This group is accused of owning complexes in the border town of Poipet and the city of Sihanoukville - places that were once considered operating areas of fraud centers. A total of 89 assets worth about 560 million baht (more than 18 million USD) are being proposed for confiscation.
Suspicion of huge "gray money" of 390 million USD
However, most of the assets in this crackdown are related to another case, with a scale of up to 12.123 billion baht (about 390 million USD).
The case revolves around Cambodian businessman Yim Leak, South African lobbyist Benjamin Mauerberger (also known as Ben Smith) and many associates.
AMLO believes that this money originated from victims of fraud, and discovered financial transactions related to the two individuals above with signs of public fraud.
Functional agencies are requesting the court to confiscate 68 assets, including land, apartments, vehicles, yachts and bank deposits.
Accusations in the second half of last year from international investigative journalists that Mauerberger had close relationships with some Thai politicians have shocked public opinion, even leading to a minister resigning.
Mauerberger is currently believed to be in Dubai and denies any involvement in illegal activities.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul affirmed that he will not tolerate the flow of "grass money" into Thailand from neighboring countries. He pledged to pursue anti-fraud and transnational crime campaigns to the end.
The fourth case involves the group I Aung Sura accused of enticing people to invest in "coin mining" through LINE groups, with 31 assets worth about 46 million baht (1.48 million USD) being proposed for confiscation.
AMLO said that if victims are identified in the cases, the seized assets can be used for compensation instead of confiscation into the state funds.
Meanwhile, the Cambodian government announced the continuation of the campaign to crack down on fraud centers. Nearly 200 complexes were raided, more than 5,500 foreigners were deported in 2025, and thousands of others have been arrested since the beginning of this year.
