A MALAYSIAN suspected of being one of the masterminds behind a transnational human trafficking syndicate has been arrested in southern Thailand after allegedly attempting to bribe immigration officers to secure the release of three Chinese nationals held for immigration offences.
The 31-year-old suspect, identified only as Mohammad, was detained at the Songkhla Immigration Office together with a 38-year-old Vietnamese woman, Nguyen Thi Thanh, Thai authorities said.
The pair reportedly arrived at the immigration office while officers were processing the arrests of three Chinese nationals and two Thai men who had earlier been detained during an operation along Asian Highway 2 in Tha Chang district, Bang Klam.
Immigration Division 6 spokesman Police Colonel Charoenpong Khantiloh said officers from the Songkhla Provincial Centre for the Suppression of Illegal Immigration intercepted a suspicious vehicle at about 2.30pm following an intelligence-led operation.
Three Chinese nationals without valid travel documents were found inside the vehicle.
"The Thai driver and his companion, aged 39 and 46 respectively, were subsequently arrested.
"Both admitted that they had been hired by a broker to pick up the three Chinese nationals and take them to a hotel in Sadao district for a payment of RM3,666," Utusan Malaysia reported Charoenpong saying.
Preliminary investigations found that the three Chinese nationals, believed to have links to a scam syndicate, had entered Thailand illegally from Cambodia through Sa Kaeo province and intended to cross into Malaysia.
The five suspects were taken to the Songkhla Immigration Office for further investigation and the preparation of charges.
"However, while police officers were preparing the arrest reports, Mohammad and Nguyen Thi arrived under suspicious circumstances. They attempted to negotiate by offering bribes, or 'coffee money', to the police officers in exchange for the release of the three Chinese nationals.
"The incident was reported to Songkhla Provincial Immigration Police chief Lieutenant Colonel Pongsiri Pitak. Police then pretended to stall for time before instructing investigators to examine communication records on the suspects' phones," Charoenpong said.
Investigators said evidence recovered from the mobile phones led them to believe the Malaysian suspect was one of the leaders of a transnational human trafficking syndicate.
He is alleged to have directed the syndicate's operations, coordinated pick-up and drop-off locations, and facilitated the illegal movement of Chinese nationals into Malaysia.
The Malaysian and Vietnamese suspects, together with the two Thai men, are expected to face joint charges of harbouring, concealing or assisting foreigners who entered Thailand illegally.
"The three Chinese nationals will be charged with entering and staying in Thailand without permission," Charoenpong said. - August 3, 2026
