Police today, October 28, arrested a former Thai boxing champion and seven other suspects for operating a gambling website with an annual circulation of more than 100 million baht.
Officers from the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) announced the results of the crackdown operation, titled “Knock Out 100 Million Baht Gambling Website,” at their headquarters in the Mueang Thong Thani area of Nonthaburi province.
According to police, investigators uncovered a major gambling network connected to former Muay Thai champion, 28 year old Weerapong, known in the boxing industry as Puen Gon Tor Surat. Puen Gon translates to machine gun in Thai.
According to a report by ThaiRath, Weerapong was a former super flyweight (115-pound) champion and won both the Fighter of the Year and Outstanding Professional Boxer awards at the 2016 National Muay Thai Day ceremony.
Police obtained court warrants and carried out raids at nine locations in Chon Buri and Lamphun provinces, arresting eight suspects:
28 year old Weerapong 27 year old Prawit 37 year old Thawatchai 22 year old Mutita 31 year old Phanumart 36 year old Kriangkrai 30 year old Nareerak 23 year old Neramit 
Photo via Facebook/ ตำรวจไทย – Thaipolice
Weerapong was identified as the owner of the website and the main beneficiary of the illegal operation. Prawit, Nareerak, and Neramit were found to be website administrators, while the remaining suspects allegedly operated mule accounts used to manage the financial transactions.
Officers seized 15 ATM cards, 10 mobile phones, 16 bank books, and several computers as evidence from the nine locations.
During questioning, Weerapong admitted to operating the gambling website for more than three years. He said it began as a part-time project but later became his main source of income after his boxing career declined.
Weerapong | Photo via ThaiRath
All suspects face two charges, including:
Section 12 of the Gambling Act: Organising or promoting gambling. The penalty is imprisonment for up to two years, a fine of up to 2,000 baht, or both. Section 5 of the Anti-Money Laundering Act: Conducting money laundering. The penalty is imprisonment for one to ten years, a fine of 20,000 to 200,000 baht, or both.
According to Channel 7, cyber police will continue to dismantle online gambling networks nationwide and conduct further investigations to arrest additional suspects involved in the operation.
Photo via Facebook/ ตำรวจไทย – Thaipolice
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