Thai authorities have arrested a Chinese national accused of leading a human trafficking network, following a raid at a hotel in Bangkok’s Din Daeng district on Tuesday, June 16.
The suspect, identified only as Gao, was detained by officers from the Crime Suppression Division and the Immigration Bureau outside his hotel room on Soi Pracharat Bamphen 1.
Authorities said the 40-year-old man was wanted by Chinese law enforcement and had been listed as a high-priority suspect in connection with international human trafficking offences.
Following the arrest, Thai authorities revoked his visa and are preparing to extradite him to China.
The operation came after Chinese police investigated an organised criminal network accused of smuggling people across borders.
Since 2024, the group is believed to have trafficked at least 20 Myanmar women into China, while also arranging for at least 20 Chinese men to travel to Yangon in Myanmar for illegal matchmaking activities.
Investigators said the syndicate allegedly relied on forged documents and false business visa applications to move people illegally between countries.
Chinese authorities had already arrested several suspects linked to the case, but Gao, described as a key figure in the operation, reportedly fled China and entered Thailand to avoid prosecution.
Beijing later sought help from Thai authorities to track down and repatriate him under the Mekong-Lancang Cooperation framework, with coordination carried out through the Anti-Cyber Scam Centre.
Thai police eventually traced Gao to the Din Daeng hotel, where he was taken into custody.
Immigration records showed that he had travelled in and out of Thailand at least 21 times, with his latest entry made on a tourist visa while he was wanted in China.
