Crew members from missing oil-smuggling boats surrender to police

Eleven crew members who were missing from oil-smuggling boats that had been seized by the authorities surrendered to police on Monday. This comes after arrest warrants were issued for another 15 crew members following the earlier disappearance of three of the five seized suspected oil-smuggling boats from a marine police compound. The missing boats, which had vanished from the marine police pier in Chon Buri’s Sattahip district, have now been located.

The 11 crew members, accompanied by their lawyers, appeared at the Economic Crime Suppression Division’s (ECD) office for questioning. They were part of the 28 crew members who had operated the three missing boats. Pol Col Chatchawal Chuchaicharoen stated that the interrogation aimed to determine the number of crew members remaining in the country and those who had fled.

It was revealed that 15 crew members had escaped on three vessels, while the other 13 stayed in Thailand. However, two of the 13 crew members, one Thai and one foreigner, were missing, and their guarantors were searching for them. Pol Col Chatchawal mentioned that the 15 crew members who fled the country on the three boats would forfeit their right to bail and face arrest for their escape while on bail. The ECD would charge them with boat theft, and their guarantors would be held accountable for bringing them to justice. Officers are currently investigating the masterminds behind the theft.

Source .