Pattaya’s Teenage Crime Kingpin ‘Little Tycoon’ Falls in Dramatic Police Bust

On the afternoon of July 16, a meticulously planned sting operation unfolded under the blazing Thai sun. Officers from the Bang Lamung and Nong Kham police stations leaped into action with the precision of seasoned chess players. Their target: a syndicate that had been operating under the radar in a hidden plantation on Soi Takhian Tia. Their quarry: a gang primed and ready to traffic stolen motorcycles across the border to Laos.

As the officers swooped in, chaos reigned supreme. A picture that would grace any action movie, two suspects, 20-year-old Paween Behkhee and the cunning 17-year-old ringleader Aom (familiarly dubbed “Little Tycoon”), went sprawling as they attempted a hasty escape. But where there’s drama, there’s always a twist—21-year-old Wann, another part of this motley crew, vanished into the shadows of the nearby forest and remains elusive.

Within the confines of a dusty bronze Toyota van lay the jackpot: six gleaming stolen motorcycles. Three were still being coaxed into the back under urgent hands, while the remaining three were already nestled and ready for a journey they’d never embark upon. All part of another day’s play for Police Lieutenant Colonel Suphawat Lathapreecha and Pol. Lt. Col. Ritthikrai Karakol, who had been conducting this investigation, following a trail of brazen thefts that crisscrossed Chon Buri, accumulating a worth north of one million baht.

At just 17, Aom’s reputation as a seasoned crook preceded him. His daring had cost him a wound at the hands of police in a Bangsaen altercation—a mere setback from which he rebounded in mere months to once again ascend the echelons of crime. His success bankrolled his larger-than-life nickname, the “Little Tycoon,” as he amassed wealth and notoriety peddling hot bikes.

In the murky digital forests of mobile applications, the gang masterminded their illicit logistics. Yet, in this elaborate game of cat and mouse, luck wasn’t on the Little Tycoon’s side. As the sting unfolded, 52-year-old Thongkham, the unsuspecting van driver, received a curt phone command from an enigmatic client, instructing a pickup in Nakhon Ratchasima, only to be cut off abruptly. His naïveté about the stolen goods was a thin veneer: “I usually check the documents, but I got suspicious when they told me to collect them from a forest,” Thongkham confessed.

With this operation, Thai police have struck a significant blow against a sprawling motorcycle theft network. Upon the capture of Little Tycoon and his cohorts, officers determinedly vow not to rest until each player in this illicit game is held accountable. The seized motorcycles now rest in police lockup, critical pieces in the puzzle of crime this syndicate so brazenly knitted.

As police proceed meticulously to unwind this tangled web and bring every wayward link to justice, this riveting tale of crime and justice serves as a clarion call, resonating with anyone who dares tread the murky line between thrill and law.