Region 8 Police Commander Pol Maj Gen Naphanwut Liamsanguan led the raids, one at a home in Moo 6 Rassada, another at a home in Moo Baan Thanthong also in Rassada, and a third at a home on Patak Rd, Karon.
Maj Gen Naphanwut said that the raids in Phuket were part of coordinated raids at 13 locations in seven provinces: Phuket, Chumphon, Krabi, Nakhon Sri Thammarat, Surat Thani, Ranong and Phang Nga.
The raids were ordered by assistant police chief Pol Lt Gen Prachuap Wongsuk, Maj Gen Naphanwut explained.
Lt Gen Prachuap led the raid on the offices of Lottery Online Co in Bangkok on Monday, where “millions of lottery tickets” were seized.
The raid in the capital followed similar raids last Friday on offices in Nonthaburi and Loei operated by lottery middleman company Mungkornfa.
The raids were executed under search warrants issued, Maj Gen Naphanwut said.
The people arrested at the three locations in Phuket were not representatives of Blue Dragon Lottery, Maj Gen Naphanwut noted.
“They worked as a type of agent whereby Blue Dragon sold lottery tickets to them at B90-97 each, which the agent had to sell for B100-105, or more,” he said.
“Blue Dragon is involved in selling overpriced lottery tickets to agents, and agents themselves are selling overpriced ticket.,
“Regardless of where Blue Dragon gets the lottery tickets from, Blue Dragon sells overpriced lottery tickets to agents and the general public,” he said.
Evidence seized, including computers adn bankbooks, were handed over to the Tha Chatchai Police, who are stationed near the Region 8 Police headquarters at the northern end of the island.
Officers are now investigating whether the people arrested would face any charges, Maj Gen Naphanwut said.
Seksakol Attawong, a deputy minister at the Prime Minister’s Office who is spearheading the government crackdown, earlier this week said the aim was to deter ordinary people from engaging in selling overpriced tickets.
Meanwhile, companies set up to make millions out of the practice stood to face prosecution, he said.
After the raid in Bangkok on Monday, Lt Gen Prachuap said that evidence had been found of ticket transactions of more than B100 million baht per lottery draw.
The vendors involved who had lottery ticket quotas with the Government Lottery Office (GLO) would lose their quota, he said.
Kurt | 01 April 2022 - 09:53:32