On 26 May, Vientiane police arrested 27 suspects of six nationalities after raiding a hotel in Hatsady village, Chanthabouly district, dismantling a transnational telecommunications scam network.
Officers seized hundreds of mobile phones, 14 desktop computers, and eight laptops. Authorities have yet to disclose which countries the suspects hold citizenship in, and say the investigation is expanding to identify further accomplices.
The raid is the latest in a series of operations that swept Vientiane and surrounding provinces throughout May, exposing an entrenched network of illegal online gambling and telecommunications fraud.
On 19 May, police arrested 88 members of a telecommunications fraud gang at Thatluang Neua village, Xaysettha district, seizing thousands of mobile phones, 103 desktop computers, and two vehicles. Suspects held five nationalities, Vietnamese, Chinese, and individuals from Myanmar, South Korea, and Laos.
Earlier in the month, police conducted two waves of raids on 11 and 12 May, netting 307 suspects, mostly Thai nationals, along with hundreds of laptops, monitors, and smartphones. Authorities deported all 307 to Thailand on 21 May.
The crackdown extends beyond the capital.
In neighbouring Bolikhamxay Province, police on 19 May raided four premises, including a lottery company used as a front for illegal gambling, and arrested 106 Thai nationals, seizing over 300 computers and 119 mobile phones. On 27 May, authorities handed all suspects over to Thailand.
