Thai authorities have confiscated an additional 8.3 billion baht (approximately $260 million) in assets linked to an alleged money-laundering network associated with cyber scam operations based in Cambodia.
At a joint briefing held yesterday at Bangkok’s Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO), officials said the seizure covered a wide range of assets, including cash, six vehicles, bank funds, and other financial holdings, according to the Bangkok Post.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who also serves as interior minister, told reporters that the latest action formed part of a wider investigation into transnational criminal networks operating out of Cambodia. He said the assets were connected to several individuals under scrutiny, including Cambodian businessman Yim Leak and his wife Veereenyah (Wirinya) Yim, South African businessman Benjamin Mauerberger—also known as Ben Smith—and his wife Cattaliya Beevor, along with other associates. Authorities also named a Thai woman identified only as Tangthai, who investigators have previously alleged managed financial transactions for both Yim Leak and Mauerberger.
According to Anutin, the latest seizures bring the total value of assets frozen or confiscated in the anti-scam investigation to more than 20 billion baht, or roughly $620 million. He described the figure as evidence of the vast scale of financial harm caused by scam syndicates operating across mainland Southeast Asia. Quoted by the Bangkok Post, Anutin said the funds represented “enormous sums” accumulated through criminal activity that had damaged the economy and harmed the public.
Political pressure surrounding the investigation appears to have intensified after old photographs surfaced showing Anutin and other senior Thai politicians dining with Mauerberger. Together with allegations involving figures such as Vorapak and Thammanat, the images fueled public questions about whether elements of Thailand’s political elite may have provided protection or cover to individuals linked to the scam economy across the Cambodian border.
That scrutiny has increased pressure on Anutin to adopt a tougher public stance. In late February, Thailand’s Central Investigation Bureau reportedly secured arrest warrants for Mauerberger and his wife on charges including joint fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and money laundering. The following month, Anutin instructed police to work with INTERPOL in seeking a Red Notice for Mauerberger.
Reports indicate that Mauerberger left Thailand for Dubai in October and later relocated to the Seychelles, allegedly in an effort to avoid arrest.
The latest raids suggest that the Thai government is under growing pressure to act more aggressively against the flow of “grey money” through the country’s political and financial systems. More seizures and enforcement actions may follow. The unresolved issue, however, is how far investigators will be prepared—or permitted—to pursue the network. As journalist Jacob Sims Wright wrote on X, despite recent moves against Mauerberger, “the politicians who gave him cover remain untouched.”