Raid nets title deeds and 'Thai Tony assets'
Anti Money Laundering Office (AMLO) agents yesterday raided two houses belonging to former Chat Thai MP Thanong Siripreechapong and his aide in Nakhon Phanom to seize suspected assets following a 1996 US conviction for trafficking marijuana into that country.
Aphichart Thanomsab, who led the raids supported by 30 border patrol policemen, said agents netted 42 land title deeds and other assets worth an additional Bt6.7 million. The seizure resulted from unauthorised sales and transfers of Thanong's assets by his relatives while he was in US custody. Thanong is now back in Thailand after completing a five-year probation term. He served 40-months in detention in the US in exchange for an uncontested confession to the crime, the revocation of heavy fines and nullification of some other charges against him. The agent said Thanong and those "owning" the seized assets had 30 days to appeal against the seizure. If their appeals were denied, AMLO would seek court approval to further proceed with the seizure. According to the US Drug Enforcement Administration, Thanong smuggled marijuana into the US from 1973 to 1987 using the name "Thai Tony." He was extradited to the US in 1996 and was repatriated to Thailand in 1999 to continue his five-year probation.
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