CHIANG RAI – Police have captured a major suspect connected to a massive international drug ring. This arrest is part of a continuing mission to completely stop the “Ball Khao Wiset” drug group. Officers found the highly wanted man hiding in the Mueang district of Chiang Rai and quickly took him into custody.
Key Takeaways
- Police arrested a 27-year-old man in Chiang Rai for helping criminals hide dirty drug money.
- The suspect was a key player in the “Ball Khao Wiset” international drug network.
- Officers previously seized more than 100 million baht in illegal assets from this same criminal group.
The arrested suspect is a 27-year-old man named Kitisak. Police tracked him down to a local house in the Mueang district of Chiang Rai province. He was wanted under an official court warrant issued in early 2025.
Kitisak was certainly not just a small-time criminal in this operation. He was actually listed as suspect number 208 on the national police most-wanted list. Finding him is a huge win for the police officers working on this massive case.
The drug network used a very common trick to hide their illegal profits from the government. They paid everyday people to open proxy bank accounts for them. The criminals then used these fake accounts to safely receive money from their drug sales.
Police Track Clever Money Scheme
Once the drug money was safely in the bank, the group would quickly withdraw it as cash. They usually made these cash withdrawals in the northern border areas of Thailand. This specific location made it very easy to secretly move the cash into neighboring countries.
After moving the money, the gang turned the cash into legal assets and real estate. This extra step made it incredibly hard for the police to trace the dirty money back to the drugs.
This recent arrest is closely tied to a much larger and older police campaign. Earlier in the investigation, police officers launched a massive operation called “Takedown Mafia.” This special mission aimed to destroy the “Ball Khao Wiset” gang from the inside out.
During those first police raids, officers seized more than 100 million baht in illegal assets from the gang. Since those first raids, local authorities have continued to search for anyone helping the gang hide their money.
After his arrest, Kitisak told the police officers his own side of the story. He fully admitted that he opened bank accounts and handed them over to other people. However, he claimed he only did it to earn a very small fee of a few thousand baht.
Kitisak told police that he desperately needed the cash to take care of his family. He strongly denied knowing that the bank accounts would be used for selling illegal drugs. Despite his sad story, police officers are not fully convinced by his excuses just yet.
The young suspect is now waiting for further questioning by special criminal investigators. Police teams will continue to gather strong evidence against him and the rest of the drug network. Law enforcement officials promise to keep fighting until the entire criminal group is firmly behind bars.
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