Three Thai men have been taken into custody after authorities discovered 14 undocumented Chinese nationals concealed inside two vehicles in Saraburi province, police said.
Highway police arrested the suspects — identified as Chakrapol, 44, Jirawat, 21, and Krisada, 44 — on charges of sheltering and assisting illegal migrants to evade law enforcement. The operation took place in Muang district following a traffic stop earlier this week.
Officers reported that the arrests stemmed from suspicious driving behaviour observed along Mittraphap Road in tambon Pak Priew. The two vehicles, a Chevrolet pickup truck and a Toyota passenger van, were seen travelling erratically on the inbound carriageway, prompting police to intervene.
Upon inspection, authorities found that the Toyota van was carrying a group of passengers, while the pickup truck was transporting a driver and one companion.
Both vehicles were escorted to the Saraburi Highway Police Station, where officers conducted a detailed inspection and document check. All 14 passengers were later confirmed to be Chinese nationals who were unable to present passports or valid immigration documents.
Police seized both vehicles along with five mobile phones believed to have been used to coordinate the transport operation. The Chinese nationals were charged with entering and remaining in Thailand without authorisation.
During interrogation, the Thai drivers admitted they knowingly transported the migrants despite being aware of their illegal status. They told investigators they had been contacted via Facebook by a Laotian intermediary identified only as “Tam,” who arranged the transports.
According to the suspects, they were instructed to collect the migrants from Ubon Ratchathani province and deliver them to Ayutthaya province, receiving a payment of 5,000 baht per person.
The detained Chinese nationals told police they had entered Thailand by crossing the Mekong River aboard a long-tail boat and acknowledged they were travelling without travel documents.
All suspects have since been transferred to Muang Saraburi Police Station for further investigation and legal proceedings, authorities said.
