BURI RAM — Highway police have arrested two Thai drivers and six Chinese nationals in Nang Rong district of this northeastern province in a crackdown on an illegal migrant-smuggling network.
The arrests followed an investigation into a network suspected of smuggling foreign nationals into Thailand. Police received information that a group of Chinese migrants would be transported along Highway 24, prompting officers to set up surveillance near Wat Khun Kong intersection in Nang Rong district on Thursday.
In the afternoon, officers spotted two suspicious vehicles travelling in convoy. The cars appeared to be carrying several passengers believed to be foreign nationals. Police signalled them to pull over for inspection and subsequently discovered six Chinese men inside. All six were unable to produce immigration documents when asked.
During questioning, the two Thai drivers admitted they had been hired to pick up the migrants near the northeastern border in Ubon Ratchathani province and transport them to Pathum Thani in the central region. They told police they were paid 8,000 baht per trip and had carried out similar jobs several times.
The Thai suspects were charged with harbouring and assisting illegal entrants into the kingdom, while the six Chinese nationals faced charges of illegal entry and unlawful stay, including overstaying their visas.
Police said the operation forms part of intensified efforts to dismantle networks involved in smuggling illegal migrant workers and foreign nationals, which may be linked to transnational criminal activities and pose risks to national security.
Thai authorities have repeatedly intercepted small- to mid-sized groups of Chinese nationals smuggled into or through Thailand, with police operations and arrests occurring frequently in border provinces. Last week, Bangkok police arrested a Chinese national, an alleged leader of a human trafficking syndicate, at a hotel in Din Daeng district.
