Thailand Issues Arrest Warrant for Cambodia Casino Tycoon Kok An

• Thai police raid Kok An-linked sites in nationwide crackdown
• Crown Casino tied to regional trafficking and scam operations
• Arrest warrant strains already tense Thai-Cambodian relations

Thai authorities have issued an arrest warrant for Kok An, a powerful Cambodian senator and owner of the Crown Casino in Poipet, a notorious Cambodian gambling town on the border with Thailand.

Kok An, who has close ties to Cambodia’s dictatorial leader Hun Sen, is under investigation for his alleged role in running transnational scamming operations out of the Crown Casino complex, Thai police said at a press conference Tuesday.

Kok An is a former smuggler who became rich when he won the contract to be the sole distributor of British American Tobacco in Cambodia. He is one of the country’s richest men.

The Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) of the Royal Thai Police raided properties linked to Kok An, known as “the Godfather of Poipet,” in 19 locations across Thailand.

Scam Hub

Many reports have identified Poipet as a hub for cybercrime and for human trafficking and forced labor. Poipet’s scam centers have been tied to trafficking networks that recruit – and sometimes kidnap – vulnerable individuals from Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, and beyond.

In 2022, a Thai national fell to his death from an 18-story tower inside the complex while allegedly attempting to flee captivity. There have been several mysterious deaths at the Crown in the past few years. In September 2018, local media outlet CEN reported that a Chinese cook at the casino was killed after his head was smashed in on a toilet.

Benedikt Hofmann, acting UNODC representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, said the raids marked a turning point.

“This is a significant development bringing down the kind of network which exists across the Mekong,” he told Nikkei Asia. “It also shows how these networks operate seamlessly across different jurisdictions, taking advantage of the gaps in regional cooperation and cross-border investigations.”

In 2024, Amnesty International warned that Cambodia was enabling a “brutal scam industry,” citing ongoing abuse, detention, and exploitation inside casino compounds like those in Poipet. Despite public crackdowns, much of the infrastructure remains intact, observers say.

Escalating Tensions

The arrest warrant will inflame already volatile relations between Thailand and Cambodia related to disputed border territories.

On May 28, a military skirmish occurred in the disputed Preah Vihear-Nam Yuen region that saw an exchange of gunfire between Thai and Cambodian forces. One Cambodian soldier was killed. Both sides blame the other for the incident. The situation remains volatile.