CHONBURI, Thailand
Senior police officials and the Chonburi governor launched a major operation on July 17th, 2026, to dismantle foreign nominee networks, raiding 41 locations in the eastern province, targeting real estate holdings valued at more than 5 billion baht, and arresting four foreign nationals, as they say the nominee crackdown in Chonburi as begun in force, focused on large land and property holdings to start.
Pol. Gen. Samran Nuanma, Deputy Commander of the Royal Thai Police and director of the Center for Combating Transnational Crime and Illegal Immigration, led the operation alongside Chonburi Governor Naris Niramaiwong and other agencies. The action, dubbed “Dismantling Foreign Nominee Networks – Phase 4,” began at 10:30 a.m.
The operation follows urgent directives from Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul to crack down on Thais acting as “nominees” for foreigners, illegal land ownership, and unlawful business activities by non-Thais.
Authorities have already conducted three previous phases in Surat Thani, Phuket, Phang Nga, and Krabi provinces, inspecting 172 land plots worth over 1.671 billion baht, issuing 107 arrest warrants, detaining 65 suspects, and securing convictions in 20 cases.
In Chonburi, investigations intensified after a special task force was formed in April 2026, pooling data from local administration, the Department of Business Development, the Provincial Commercial Office, Land Office, Revenue Department, provincial police, immigration, and tourism police.
Chonburi has 76,343 registered juristic persons, of which 28,463 have foreign shareholders. The Department of Business Development identified 14,264 companies as having potential nominees. Officials also uncovered two Thai accountants who held shares in 186 companies worth over 216 million baht, many linked to property holdings in the province.
Investigators discovered Russian groups using Russia-registered websites to market and rent houses in local projects, promoting them as “Russian villages” with Russian names. Deep probes revealed six housing projects involving approximately 775 single houses worth over 5 billion baht, held through 495 companies. Of these, 435 had foreign shareholders, including 19 suspected nominee companies and 14 where foreigners held more than 50% of shares and owned land.
Police obtained arrest warrants for four Russian suspects from the Pattaya Provincial Court and search warrants for 41 locations. All four Russians were arrested. Authorities seized company registration documents, accounting records, computers, mobile phones, and large volumes of electronic data for further investigation and international follow-up.
Suspects face charges under the Foreign Business Act B.E. 2542, the Land Code, the Royal Decree on Management of Foreign Workers, and related laws.
After the raids, Pol. Gen. Samran briefed the media at Pattaya City Hall. He said that the operation implements government and police policy against Thais fronting for foreign ownership of assets. Participating agencies included Region 2 Police, Chonburi Provincial Police, Immigration Bureau, local administration, Department of Business Development, Land Department, and Revenue Department.
Of the targeted 33 companies, 19 involved Thai nominees (19 cases linked to 16 land plots totaling over 5 rai), while 14 involved illegal foreign control (14 cases linked to 16 plots totaling over 4 rai). In total, 41 search warrants and four arrest warrants were issued, with 54 people named as suspects (Thais and various foreign nationalities). Seized assets in the initial cases are valued at approximately 235.2 million baht.
One notable case in Ban Bueng district involves five land plots (about 268 rai and 144 square wah, valued at roughly 346 million baht) allegedly held by Thais for Chinese investors. Another involved the prior arrest of a 43-year-old Chinese woman accused of acting as a broker for property sales and rentals on social media without proper work authorization.
Raids also targeted companies in Chonburi, seizing computers, phones, and documents linked to nominee arrangements and violations of the Foreign Business Act. In Pattaya, six projects with 775 houses held by 495 companies (435 with foreign ties) were examined, leading to the first batch of 33 targeted companies.
Pol. Gen. Samran noted that some networks had set up hundreds of companies using just a few individuals as shareholders. Examples included three people linked to 328 companies, two to 172, and three to about 70, patterns suggesting structures designed to facilitate foreign investment while circumventing restrictions.
He stressed that Thailand welcomes tourists and legitimate foreign investment, but businesses must comply with the law. Thai shareholdings must represent genuine joint ventures, not fronts to evade regulations. He warned law firms, accounting offices, and company registrars against assisting in such schemes, promising strict prosecution for any complicity.
Governor Naris Niramaiwong said the province established task forces to combat foreign nominees and illegal land ownership. Recent checks on thousands of companies flagged around 350 with clear foreign land control, involving approximately 549 plots totaling 1,100 rai and valued at over 1.3 billion baht. Further case-by-case investigations are ongoing.
Chonburi plans tighter scrutiny of building permits, hotel operations, and other land-related approvals, especially for companies with foreign shareholders or suspicious activities. Coordination with building, hotel, tax, and other laws will be strengthened.
The Royal Thai Police vowed to continue nationwide operations against nominee networks and foreign capital violations. The public is encouraged to report tips via any police station or the 1599 hotline, available 24 hours.
For the original version of this article, please visit The Pattaya News.
