BANGKOK, THAILAND – Investigations into around ten politicians over alleged links to drugs, online gambling and fraud networks sharply intensified political tensions shortly before the parliamentary election.
Major police operation targets politicians
Authorities reported on Friday that a large operation by the Royal Thai Police was directed at up to ten politicians, including former members of parliament and candidates for the 8 February election suspected of connections to criminal networks. According to media reports, investigators could soon seek arrest warrants, a move that would have triggered a nationwide political crisis in the middle of a historic and fiercely contested campaign.
Prime minister refuses to name suspects
Acting prime minister Anutin Charnvirakul appeared before the press on Friday but maintained his refusal to disclose any names, citing the confidentiality of ongoing proceedings.
“We are keeping the names confidential because of their behaviour. Do I have to say this many more times?”
said Anutin, acting prime minister.
On 9 January at the Finance Ministry, he also rejected allegations that the investigations were politically motivated or aimed at influencing the campaign.
“It was not politically motivated,”
said Anutin, acting prime minister, stressing that procedures were following normal channels and referring to reports of a leaked list of ten politicians only by reiterating the promise of confidentiality.
Justice minister confirms database of politicians
Justice minister Pol Lt Gen Rutthaphon Naowarat confirmed that more than ten politicians and former MPs were under scrutiny, mainly in cases involving online gambling networks, fraud and scam groups, and drug trafficking. He said the investigations had been underway for some time with the participation of the Cyber Police, the Royal Thai Police and the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), using shared data and preparing coordinated operations.
Rutthaphon referred explicitly to a database listing around ten politicians.
“There are about ten people,”
said Rutthaphon, justice minister, noting that most were election candidates and some were sitting MPs. He said the cases were based on integrated intelligence information and that further details would only be given when measures were imminent.
Clash with opposition over ‘grey businesses’
The unusually open insights followed criticism from Rangsiman Rome, a former People’s Party list MP, who had accused the government of failing to tackle fraud gangs and illegal gambling networks and warned that so‑called grey businesses were gaining political influence. Rutthaphon rejected this, insisting that investigations were well advanced and that intelligence work had never been interrupted, and said an interview cited by Rome had been misinterpreted.
He clarified that he had never confirmed that no politicians were involved in such cases, but had merely delivered a general policy address during a visit to Cyber Police headquarters. He maintained that operational work against criminal networks had continued despite the political debate.
Fears over illegal campaign financing
Across the country, concerns grew that election campaigns might be financed with illegal funds from gambling and drug offences. Rutthaphon described this as an
“urgent concern and a crucial question”
said Rutthaphon, justice minister, and issued instructions to the Cyber Police to act preventively against money flows into the campaign.
The secretary-general of the Election Commission, Sawaeng Boonme, also warned against vote buying and announced tighter checks in constituencies, promising strict and robust measures against offenders. He stated that candidates who were arrested and charged could be barred from standing, while those released on bail before a verdict could still run unless their parties withdrew support.
Youth drug prevention and Worldcoin probe
On 8 January, Rutthaphon launched a nationwide youth drug prevention campaign at the Justice Ministry, distributing drug test kits to institutions and presenting measures to prevent relapses and misconduct in juvenile detention centres. He said the effort formed part of broader strategies against drug trafficking and related crime.
Separately, the minister provided information on Special Case No. 148/2568 concerning an iris‑scan business linked to the Worldcoin project, focused on a memorandum of understanding dated 27 March 2024 between the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society and the Prime Opportunity Fund VCC Singapore. A special investigative unit was preparing searches at specified locations to secure evidence, with no names released at this stage.
Uncertainty as raids and politics converge
As law‑enforcement agencies continued investigations at several levels, political actors moved with marked caution. The combination of possible arrest warrants, allegations of illegal campaign financing and the narrowing window before the vote kept the political situation in a phase of high uncertainty.
Officials indicated that public updates would only follow once concrete steps were imminent, leaving questions about transparency and timing unanswered while the country headed towards the February election.