Operation Rattlesnake

The following appears in PATTAYA TODAY:

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Up to 100 Blacklisted Foreigners in Pattaya

FOLLOWING the success of a recent campaign by Thai police and US law enforcement agencies to rid Pattaya of serious crime organised by both Thais and foreigners, it’s confirmed that the hunt for wanted farangs in Pattaya and Bangkok goes on. During Operation Rattlesnake in May, about 80 people were arrested mostly for drugs possession and trafficking in a haul which included large quantities of yabba, marijuana and crystal methamphetamine.

One of the aims of the ongoing crime crackdown is to root out that minority of foreigners who are involved in serious crime of any kind. On May 21, an ex-Merseyside policeman from UK, Ian Shuttleworth, was arrested for alleged big-time involvement in sending Thai women to UK where they were quickly snared in prostitution rings throughout the country. Mr Shuttleworth has denied the charges. This arrest came after a tip off to Thai police from London’s metropolitan police.

It’s believed that there are 100 foreigners in the Pattaya area alone whom police want to question in connection with nefarious activity. Sex with underage children has been one of the target areas. For example, Jean Marie Luc from the Netherlands and Ian Charles Tracey from UK were both arrested at their homes for alleged indecency with young boys. Both have denied the charges, Mr Luc claiming his interest in youths was educational only and Mr Tracey protesting he was set up.

The ongoing hunt for unwelcome foreigners has involved national and regional crime squads as well as the Pattaya police and the office of the Chonburi governor Pracha Taerat. Pattaya police superintendent, colonel Noppodhol Wongnorm confirmed that inquiries and undercover work were continuing and that more arrests are expected soon. He added that both Thai suspects and foreigners were under investigation in various parts of the country.

Amongst the cases of foreigners still being pursued in Pattaya are several alleged drugs lords and money launderers who use seemingly legitimate businesses as a cover, often in the name of a Thai wife or partner. There are also files on a number of alleged foreign pedophiles with photographic evidence collected at secret stake-outs. A senior policeman said, “Operation Rattlesnake and its successor phase are providing the biggest data base on undesirables for many years.”