French villa operators in southern Thailand were raided as part of an investigation into illegal activities.
Police in Koh Phangan raided four sites linked to a French villa management company suspected of using Thai "front men" to illegally operate unlicensed real estate and hotels.
The joint operation carried out on November 7 mobilized officers from the Surat Thani Provincial Police, the Koh Phangan Police Station, the Immigration Bureau, the Tourist Police and the Koh Phangan District Office.
Police executed search warrants at four locations:
- Site 1: A company office located in Moo 1, in the Koh Phangan sub-district, where the accounting records of four companies run by two French nationals were kept.
The officers seized documents and questioned three Thai employees. - Site 2: a project of 18 villas whose units were rented to foreign tourists for 5,000 baht (134 euros) per night.
Two Thai receptionists and two foreign clients were interviewed. - Site 3: another project of 18 villas offering daily rentals between 5,000 and 15,000 baht (134-403 euros).
A foreign client was interviewed. - Site 4: project of 29 villas under construction, where the police questioned two French owners.
The business model
Police officers inspect a villa project under construction during a raid in Koh Phangan on November 7, 2025, as part of an investigation into alleged illegal business activities carried out by French nationals.
Investigators stated that the French nationals were leasing land from Thai owners under 30-year contracts.
Then they subdivided the plots and built villas which were then sold using subletting rights valued at between 3 and 7 million baht (80,710 to 188,324 euros each).
Some buyers used the properties themselves, while others hired French operators to manage and rent them out for a 20% commission.
According to police intelligence, this operation generated at least 200 million baht (5,380,688 euros) annually through rents and management income.
Investigation underway
A foreign national is questioned by authorities at the Koh Phangan police station on November 7, 2025, after being found staying in one of the villas of a real estate project where accommodations were being rented without a proper hotel license.
Authorities have seized business records for further examination and are questioning those involved to determine whether the companies have breached hotel licensing laws or used illegal front structures.
Police said the raid was part of a wider crackdown on foreigners operating unauthorized businesses in key tourist destinations in Surat Thani province.
This operation began after a series of complaints against Israeli expatriates and tourists present on the island.
See: Thailand: Tensions between residents and Israelis on the island of Koh Phangan
Koh Phangan Island is known worldwide for its famous Full Moon Parties .
- Police raided four sites linked to French villa operators in Koh Phangan.
- Authorities suspect the use of Thai front men and the absence of hotel licenses.
- The investigation aims to determine the legality of the business model and management structures.
See also:
Thailand: Rabbi summoned amid tensions with Israeli tourists
Thailand: Tourists shocked by water taxi practices in Koh Phangan
Thailand: Shotgun shooting at tourists on Koh Phangan
Source: Khaosod English
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4 comments
Things are about to get interesting…
I hope they strip them naked.
Those who come to cause trouble in Thailand: jail in Thailand to calm them down a bit and a permanent ban from entering.
The mafia-like maneuvers of certain Russians in Pattaya (for a long time!) and Phuket, the Israelis and the French in Phangan, not to mention the Chinese gangs, so well established that they go almost completely unnoticed and have been part of a certain "normality" of the Thai economic landscape for decades, as "LUC 555" says, it's becoming interesting.
Especially on the side of the Phangan authorities, whose medium and long-term actions I am very curious to see in order to put an end to these fraudulent real estate practices which create heavily penalized victims and scammers who fill their pockets in a very short time and disappear (when they are clever and quick enough) from Thai territory to escape the country's justice.
It is a veritable cancer that will spread as long as these criminals feel they are in a position of strength and manage to circumvent the laws, believing themselves to be immune from the risks incurred, rightly or wrongly.
It is time to reverse the trend by increasing repressive pressure to eliminate attempts at recidivism and see the rats leave the "Thailand" ship to go where the illegal real estate market will be more favorable and less dangerous for them…
Nothing will change, I don't think so.
I had stayed for a few days a few years ago in the only forest temple on KPG Island not far from Chaloklum.
The monks were kind, welcoming, benevolent, doing tai chi and yoga early in the morning, but all disillusioned with the corruption on the island. The abbot told me that everything on the island is for sale, absolutely everything, including the darkest stories, and that for him, this will never change.
I'm afraid he's right, despite some actions by the police and local immigration... by paying, it will be put aside...