Thirteen Africans Arrested in Songkhla with Forged Entry Stamps
SONGKHLA – Immigration police have apprehended thirteen African nationals discovered with counterfeit immigration stamps in their passports during an operation in Songkhla province. The arrests, which took place on October 11, are part of an investigation into illegal entry routes potentially linked to transnational criminal networks.
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The operation was conducted by the Songkhla Immigration Investigation Team in coordination with the Tourist Police and Thung Lung Police Station. Authorities intercepted a passenger van at a petrol station on Highway 2 in Ban Phru, Hat Yai district, where they discovered nine individuals carrying passports with fraudulent Thai entry stamps. The group consisted of five Kenyan nationals, two Ugandans, and two Nigerians. The Thai driver of the van informed police he had been hired by 52-year-old Mr. Naser Khan to transport the group to Bangkok’s Mo Chit Bus Terminal.
According to police, Khan confessed to being contracted by a Malaysian broker to facilitate the illegal entry of the thirteen foreigners, who had reportedly crossed into Thailand through an unofficial border crossing in Tak Bai, Narathiwat province. He admitted to arranging for an associate known as “Bang Nong” to forge immigration stamps in the group’s passports before their journey. Khan was to receive a payment of 4,920 USDT, equivalent to approximately 160,000 baht, in digital currency for his services.
Since the intercepted van could only accommodate nine passengers, the remaining four individuals had been dispatched to Bangkok via public transport. These individuals were subsequently apprehended in Cha-Uat district, Nakhon Si Thammarat, with assistance from regional immigration units.
All thirteen foreign nationals now face charges of illegal entry and use of falsified official documents, while Khan has been charged with harboring and assisting illegal migrants. Pol. Maj. Gen. Chutharet Yingyongdamrongsakul, Commander of Immigration Division 6, noted that while the group claimed to be tourists, security intelligence suggests smuggling networks are increasingly using Malaysian routes to transport individuals into Thailand, potentially for placement in scam or online gambling operations in neighboring countries.
Authorities have initiated further questioning under Thailand’s National Referral Mechanism procedures to determine whether any of the detained individuals may be victims of human trafficking, while continuing to investigate potential connections to broader cross-border criminal syndicates.
-Thailand News (TN)
