Police raid 32 nominee firms over Koh Phangan land worth 150 million baht
Koh Phangan / Surat Thani – On May 13th, 2026, at 9:00 a.m., Deputy National Police Chief Pol. Gen. Samran Nualma, together with Pol.
Police raided 32 suspected nominee firms on Koh Phangan on May 13, targeting land holdings worth about 150 million baht in a crackdown led by Deputy National Police Chief Pol. Gen. Samran Nualma and Pol.
Gen. Noppasil Poolsawas. The operation unfolded at 9am in Surat Thani province, across the Gulf from Phuket, with authorities alleging the companies were used to let foreigners illegally hold land and run businesses through Thai proxy shareholders.
Nearly 300 officers deployed across 32 sites
Nearly 300 officers joined the simultaneous searches, police said. The teams came from the Transnational Crime Suppression Center, Metropolitan Police Bureau, Crime Suppression Division, Immigration Police, Provincial Police Region 8, and local units from Surat Thani and Krabi.
Authorities named the action “Operation Nominee Takedown.” The searches covered five law firms and consultancy offices as well as 27 companies linked to 37 land plots on the island.
Police also moved to arrest four suspects connected to the alleged nominee network. The group included three Thai nationals and one foreigner accused of violating laws on foreign business ownership and landholding.
Documents, digital records and wider probes seized
Investigators collected corporate documents, shareholder meeting records, land title deeds, purchase and lease agreements, and management contracts during the raids. Financial evidence seized included bank account records and documents related to international money transfers.
Officers also confiscated computers and electronic data storage devices for further examination. The evidence is expected to support the ongoing inquiry into ownership structures and land transactions.
The Department of Special Investigation has separately opened a broad probe into 34 companies registered on Koh Samui and Koh Phangan that are suspected of using Thai nationals as nominee shareholders to conceal foreign ownership.
Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul arrived on Koh Phangan the same day to address cases involving foreigners illegally operating businesses, where he was received by Surat Thani Governor Jumphot Wannachatsiri.
Source: https://thephuketexpress.com/2026/05/14/police-raid-32-suspected-nominee-firms-holding-land-worth-150-million-baht-on-koh-phangan/
