Thailand’s AMLO Busts Siamese Rosewood Smugglers

The Anti-Money Laundering Office, working with police in Northeast Thailand, has uncovered a network of cartel gangs illegally smuggling endangered Siamese rosewood, according to The Nation.

The Nation reports that the AMLO investigation began after police dissolved a gang in Chaiyaphum province in April, and discovered the gang was also trading in the rare rosewood.

The ensuing four-month investigation revealed that the smuggling gangs used car conveys, similar to those used in drug smuggling, to transport the timber. The smugglers reportedly utilized a network of car dealerships and shophouses, and a rotation of up to 100 cars to evade police detection.

The AMLO report said that the profit from the illicit rosewood sales was laundered in Thai baht through tour businesses, massage parlors, second-hand car dealerships, or even deposited in banks where relatives of the gang members worked.

Bangkok lawyers at Chaninat & Leedshave decades of experience in recovering money, funds or assets based on trade and business disputes.

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