Taiwan and Thai police jointly crack transnational money laundering ring, arrest 21 suspects in Taiwan

Thai police recently uncovered a transnational money laundering operation and relayed the intelligence to Taiwan's Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB). Following a long-term surveillance investigation by the CIB, it was discovered that a money laundering syndicate led by a man surnamed Luo assisted Thai and Vietnamese gambling websites in laundering money, netting over NT$400 million in illicit profits. Following the leads, 21 suspects in Taiwan were arrested and brought to justice. The Criminal Investigation Bureau of the National Police Agency held a press conference detailing the case. Yang Guo-song, a researcher at the International Criminal Affairs Division, stated that the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau of the Royal Thai Police had recently busted a money laundering operation in Chiang Mai, controlled by Malaysian and Thai suspects. The cross-border investigation revealed that the syndicate was led by Luo, who rented a commercial office in Neihu District, Taipei, under the guise of a technology company to recruit staff. Since September 2023, Luo and his accomplices have assisted Thai and Vietnamese gambling sites with fiat deposits and withdrawals using third-party payment systems like Vietnam's "Viet Pay" and Thailand's "ThaiQR," utilizing proxy accounts for offshore money laundering. The group also colluded with fraud rings to extract commission fees. Synchronized raids launched last year resulted in the arrest of 21 individuals, including the mastermind Luo and a top cadre named Zheng. According to the syndicate's backend ledgers, from September 2023 to April 15, 2025, the total amount laundered reached over NT$18.2 billion, generating over NT$406 million in illegal profits. The task force seized 856,654 USDT, 4.319 ETH, 1 BTC (crypto value approx. NT$30 million), over NT$8.45 million in cash, plus real estate and securities, totaling over NT$165 million. All suspects have been transferred to the Shilin District Prosecutors Office for investigation under the Money Laundering Control Act and other offenses.