The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of the Thai Police, in collaboration with the Department of Land Transport, announced the results of the “Crackdown on Illegal Vehicles” operation on July 31. The operation targeted areas in Samut Sakhon, Ratchaburi, Chaiyaphum, and Sisaket provinces, resulting in the arrest of four suspects and the seizure of over 30 vehicles, including cars and motorcycles, with fake license plates.
Pol. Maj. Gen. Sophon Saraphat, Deputy Commissioner of the CIB, reported that the operation was initiated after discovering a significant number of illegal vehicles using counterfeit license plates on the roads. In some cases, the same license plate number was used on up to 26 different vehicles. The fake plates were linked to various illegal activities, including drug trafficking, smuggling of illegal immigrants, and arms trafficking. The CIB coordinated with the Department of Land Transport to conduct a thorough investigation, leading to the recent raids.
Pol. Maj. Gen. Montri Thetkhan, Commander of the Anti-Corruption Division, revealed that the operation stemmed from a previous case involving the export of illegal vehicles with counterfeit license plates to neighboring countries, tied to a network known as “Jay Mali” in Mueang District, Loei Province, on September 26, 2023. The investigation uncovered over 2,000 entries of license plate numbers, tax sticker information, car brand details, and chassis numbers, believed to be counterfeit documents sold to customers.
The data was categorized into three groups: vehicles with mismatched registration data, vehicles with matching registration data but multiple identical license plates (known as “twin cars”), and vehicles with license plates that had not been officially issued or were using empty registration plates. Further investigation revealed that many of these vehicles were still under the ownership of finance companies, with some being pledged after purchase, sold by buyers, or stolen by pledgees for resale. Some buyers were aware of the illegal status of these vehicles but were attracted by the low prices, while others were unaware of the fraud.
Pol. Maj. Gen. Montri noted that the suspects apprehended in this operation are part of a larger network, and further investigations will continue to identify and apprehend other members. Meanwhile, Pol. Maj. Gen. Kongkrit Leungsittikul, Commander of the Highway Police, stated that last year, highway police seized 67 vehicles with fake license plates, commonly used for illegal activities such as drug trafficking, smuggling of illegal immigrants, and tax evasion.
Sekson Akkhraphan, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Land Transport, emphasized the ongoing collaboration with the police to monitor vehicle registrations and prevent illegal activities. In the case of the 26 vehicles using the same license plate number, it was confirmed that the plates were counterfeit and had not been officially issued.
