PHETCHABURI, THAILAND – A German-Thai ex-model and former ranger was arrested in an undercover police operation over illegal timber trading from protected forests.
Undercover sting ends months-long search
The 32-year-old Kossakorn “Willy”, a German-Thai national, had been wanted on an arrest warrant since August after evading an appeal verdict over illegal timber sales from the Phetchaburi Provincial Court. Investigators from the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division discovered that he had not gone fully into hiding but continued to illegally fell trees in protected forests and sell the wood online. Officers posed as interested buyers, arranged a meeting at his house in Nong Ya Plong, presented the warrant on arrival and arrested him.
From catwalk to forest crime
Willy had previously worked as a model and served as a ranger in a paramilitary unit, a career described as having “two faces.” During interrogation he admitted that drugs had ruined his life, leaving him unemployed and without money, and that illegal logging had become his only source of income.
“While he was fleeing from the law, he continued to destroy the environment,”
said an investigator, calling it a classic case of double criminality.
Heavy charges under four forest laws
The indictment was based on four key statutes: the Forest Act of 1941, the National Reserved Forest Act of 1964, the National Parks Act of 2019 and the Chainsaw Act of 2002. Each of these laws provided for severe penalties for offences involving protected forests and illegal equipment. Following his arrest, Willy was immediately transferred to the Phetchaburi Provincial Court, where he now faced charges not only for fleeing justice but above all for continued environmental destruction.
Authorities warn buyers over social media timber
Authorities used the case to issue a clear warning to the public that buying wood via social media was highly risky. Timber without proper proof of origin could expose buyers to prosecution for receiving stolen goods or violations of forest laws, and even possession of an unregistered chainsaw was illegal.
“What looks like a bargain can bring you straight before a court,”
said police in their stark message.
Symbol of wider struggle for Thailand’s forests
Officials said the case illustrated the ongoing exploitation of Thailand’s protected forests, with offenders increasingly using the internet as a marketplace. At the same time, the undercover operation showed that the specialist environmental crime unit was stepping up efforts and would not relent. For the ex-model “Willy”, the show had ended, and instead of the catwalk his path now led to the judge, marking a tragic end to a failed double life.