Thailand’s Immigration Intensifies its Crackdown on Foreigners Working Illegally

Thailand is continuing to crack down hard on foreigners working illegally. Immigration police raids have intensified, and hundreds of foreigners being arrested and blacklisted from the Kingdom. Yesterday a Russian national was arrested for unlawfully conducting a crypto exchange services on Koh Phangan, Thailand’s tourism region.

Immigration Police apprehended Mr Gaitukiev, 36, at a bungalow on Sri Thanu beach in the southern province’s tambon Koh Phangan, according to Surat Thani province chief Pol Maj Gen Sermphan Sirikhong on Friday. The arrest came after a police investigation revealed that his website advertised the purchase and sale of cryptocurrency in Thailand’s Koh Samui and Koh Phangan.

According to the Surat Thani police commander, the phone and WhatsApp numbers listed on the website for clients to contact were linked to Mr Gaitukiev and another foreign national, Maksim Variukhin’s bank accounts.

Immigration Police detectives discovered that the two foreign nationals were executives of OM 118 Co on Koh Phangan in Surat Thani. The company’s office was located in a bungalow on Sri Thanu Beach on this tourist island.

According to the police investigation, the residence also operated a cannabis business, “Plantasia Cannabis Collective,” with a sign stating “Bitcoin” in front of it. The detectives assumed the shop was the location for cryptocurrency exchange, as described on the website.

On Wednesday, investigators secured a court warrant from the Samui Provincial Court to search the establishment. On Thursday, the arrest team searched the shop.

Mr Gatukiev was present throughout the search and informed officers he owned the shop.

The arresting crew searched the cannabis shop and discovered no illegal items. There were adverts for cryptocurrency exchanges inside the shop. Mr. Gatukiev was arrested for illegally operating a bitcoin exchange.

During questioning, he allegedly revealed that he and Mr Variukhin offered digital money services to tourists. Mr Gatukiev was charged and transported to the Koh Phangan police station for legal proceedings. Police did not offer information about the other foreign national.

Kazakh woman arrested for procuring in Samui, Thailand

Meanwhile, a Kazakh woman who overstayed her visa on Koh Samui has been arrested on suspicion of advertising sex services online.

Ms Anel, 35, was apprehended in a hotel room on the tourist island with 10,000 baht in cash, immigration officials said on Friday. She had received the money from a police informant posing as a customer.

A check of her passport revealed that she had overstayed her visa by 195 days.

The arrest came when a foreigner reported that a foreign woman had persuaded him to buy sex services. According to the Surat Thani immigration office, the approach was made by an agent who used a mobile phone number linked to WhatsApp.

Thailand’s immigration police discovered that the same mobile number appeared on various dating websites where foreign women advertised sex services in tourist destinations such as Bangkok, Pattaya, and Phuket.

The arresting team asked an informant to arrange an encounter using the phone number displayed on WhatsApp. He was urged to pay $350 and received images of a foreign woman.

Following the agreement, the informant messaged the woman and invited her to meet him at a hotel room on Thursday. When the woman arrived, he paid her and she went to the restroom to change. The man then directed the officers to come in and arrest her.

During questioning, Ms Anel admitted to all accusations. She reportedly informed authorities that she was contacted by a foreign lady named Linda, who worked as an agent for the online dating.

She was accused with providing sex services and overstaying her visa. She was turned over to the Bo Phut police station for legal proceedings. The arresting team intends to expand its investigation to find and arrest Ms Linda for soliciting women for prostitution.