Authorities inspect 56 Phuket land plots in crackdown on suspected foreign nominee networks
Phuket authorities inspected 56 land plots worth about 231 million baht in a regional crackdown on suspected foreign nominee networks, as part of a wider Andaman operation covering more than 1 billion baht in land and buildings.
Authorities in Phuket have inspected 56 land plots worth about 231 million baht as part of a wider crackdown on suspected foreign nominee networks in the Andaman region, the government said.
Deputy government spokesperson Ploythale Laksameesangchan said the operation formed part of an urgent policy under Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul to dismantle nominee structures, in which Thai nationals are allegedly used to hold shares on behalf of foreigners. The campaign is also linked to a broader government plan to tackle transnational crime.
According to the government, the latest operation, called “Dismantling Foreign Nominee Networks Phase 3”, deployed more than 500 officers from the Royal Thai Police and related agencies across Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi. In the three provinces, authorities inspected 89 land plots covering 49 rai, 1 ngan and 6.4 square wah, with land and buildings valued at about 1.053 billion baht.
In Phuket, officials found 10 companies suspected of acting as nominees, linked to four land plots covering 2 rai, 1 ngan and 50.5 square wah, worth about 116 million baht. The court approved arrest warrants for 12 foreign nationals, totaling 13 warrants.
Officials also identified 39 companies that had bought and occupied land while having foreign shareholders accounting for more than half of ownership. Those companies were linked to 52 land plots covering about 12 rai, 2 ngan and 62.5 square wah, worth around 115 million baht. The court approved 29 search warrants.
Combined, the two Phuket groups involved 56 land plots covering about 15 rai and 13 square wah, with a total value of roughly 231 million baht.
Across Phuket, Krabi and Phang Nga, authorities said they found 29 companies suspected of acting as nominees and 48 landholding companies in which foreign shareholders outnumbered Thai shareholders. In total, courts approved 59 arrest warrants and 60 search warrants.
The government said Anutin is scheduled to join the Royal Thai Police at Government House at 11 a.m. on Monday, June 22, to announce the results of operations against scammers and transnational nominee networks.
Ploythale said the prime minister had ordered authorities to expand the crackdown nationwide and continue strict enforcement. The public has been urged to report suspected illegal foreign investment activity to local police stations or the Royal Thai Police hotline 1599, which operates around the clock.
The government said Thailand remains open to lawful foreign investment, but is moving more aggressively against nominee arrangements allegedly used to bypass landholding and business ownership rules.
