Chinese businessman Chaiyanat Kornchayanant, his Thai wife and 17 co-defendants, including five legal entities, were acquitted of money laundering and illegal narcotic charges yesterday, due to insufficient evidence, by the Bangkok South Criminal Court in one of the country’s most high-profile transnational organised crime trials.
Six co-defendants were, however, sentenced to prison terms ranging from 21 to 28 years, after three were convicted of narcotics trafficking and three of abetting narcotics trafficking.
The key defendant in this the case was Chaiyanat, known locally as ‘Tu Hao’, a Chinese-born businessman with Thai nationality who has been living in Thailand for over 20 years. He is reputed to own a huge empire of tourism-related businesses, including travel agencies, car rental service and pubs, catering exclusively Chinese tour groups.
Chaiyanat turned himself in on November 23, 2022.
His Thai wife, a former police officer in the Foreign Affairs Division and the niece of a former police chief, was dismissed from the police service after her indictment.
The indictment and trial of the 25 defendants followed a police raid on the Jinling pub in Bangkok on October 26, 2022. More than 100 patrons tested positive for drug use and several illegal narcotics were found on the premises. The raid led to further investigation of the business empire of Chaiyanat, owner and manager of the Jinling pub.
Charges were filed against the 25 defendants, including money laundering, narcotics trafficking, criminal association and being members of a transnational organised criminal network.
