Koh Phangan / Surat Thani –
On May 13th, 2026, at 9:00 a.m., Deputy National Police Chief Pol. Gen. Samran Nualma, together with Pol. Gen. Noppasil Poolsawas, led a sweeping operation against suspected nominee companies on Koh Phangan. Nearly 300 officers from specialized task forces, including the Transnational Crime Suppression Center, Metropolitan Police Bureau, Crime Suppression Division, Immigration Police, Provincial Police Region 8, and local police units from Surat Thani and Krabi, were deployed to execute simultaneous raids across 32 targeted sites.
The coordinated crackdown, dubbed Operation Nominee Takedown, focused on companies allegedly established to allow foreign nationals to illegally hold land and conduct business by using Thai citizens as proxy shareholders. Authorities searched five law firms and consultancy offices, along with 27 companies reported to hold 37 land plots valued at approximately 150 million baht.
In addition to the raids, police sought to apprehend four suspects linked to nominee operations, three Thai nationals and one foreigner, on charges of violating laws governing foreign business ownership and landholding.
During the searches, officers seized extensive evidence, including corporate documents, shareholder meeting records, land title deeds, purchase and lease agreements, management contracts, and financial records such as bank accounts and international transfer documents. Digital evidence, including computers and electronic data storage devices, was also confiscated for further investigation.
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