Foreign mafia in Pattaya

[jacko 8,696]

Goodness gracious! Wound up pretty tight lately?

Tourettes and tourniquet.

[samfreeland 64]

bullshit tck tck bullshit tck bullshit lol

[lazru123 0]

So just how strong do you think the foreign mafia is in Pattaya? The Chinese and Thai gangs seem to have most places sewn up, so how do foreign mafia manage to even get a foothold?

I’ve heard stories about Russian mafia doing pretty well for themselves in Pattaya, and obviously it’s probably the ideal place to make some money disappear, but when it comes to fully-organised gangs running extortion rackets, is it just an urban myth or is it genuinely happening?

I found a feature on foreign mafia in Thailand, and it seems to suggest that most of the Russian businesses in Pattaya are merely fronts for something more suspect. So do the Russians and Chinese gangs simply not step on each other’s turf and somehow manage to co-exist?

pretty much co-exist, enough to go round, if any one faction gets to greedy theres always the thai authorities, the buck always stops with them.

[nam-thip 1]

It’s not that easy to tread on Thai turf.

 

Many years ago when living in Phuket an outfit from London calling themselves the Yardies with their ‘head office’ located somewhere in the Caribbean tried to get a foothold on the night club scene in Patong.

 

A few times I caught sight of three black guys with more gold around their necks than Mr. T.

 

They thought they could operate their business without any local rules but within a year they where run out of town by the Thai mafia.

[joekicker 53]

They thought they could operate their business without any local rules but within a year they where run out of town by the Thai mafia.

 

That's very tolerant, giving them a year. You just can't *do* that stuff in Thailand.

 

.

[nam-thip 1]

That's very tolerant, giving them a year. You just can't *do* that stuff in Thailand.

 

.

 

I think the reason they lasted that long was because they had a one year lease on a well known disco/night club that just happened to be owned by the head mafia guy.

They were kept well under control until their departure.

[lovedog100 1,372]

after that comment you can go fuck yourself!

 

goodbye!

Hmmm I thought MM's reply was very eloquent. I just let your statement go, mainly because I couldn't think of anything else to say but. "Have you got your head up your ass?" But, I'm trying to limit my negative responses, and hit my quota for today.

[Parkwahn 61]

Night clubs all over the world are great fronts to clean money, if there was a foreign washing machine paying off the police I dont see why it would not be allowed, taking a slice of their pie is another matter.

[samfreeland 64]

It’s not that easy to tread on Thai turf.

 

Many years ago when living in Phuket an outfit from London calling themselves the Yardies with their ‘head office’ located somewhere in the Caribbean tried to get a foothold on the night club scene in Patong.

 

A few times I caught sight of three black guys with more gold around their necks than Mr. T.

 

They thought they could operate their business without any local rules but within a year they where run out of town by the Thai mafia.

the Brits have always been good at assimilating in to other cultures. for instance a British relative from early colonization of NZ had a pakeha wife in wellington and on the Chatham islands his wife was a Maori chiefs daughter. the reason for this apart from the obvious was that it gave him standing in the tribe. if you don't marry in nobody will trust you and your still one of them. its all down hill from there.

[wacmedia 277]

Hi,

 

I dont think there is any Mafia anywhere. Business is Business everywhere. The Government extact payment from people(taxation) and supply protection in the form of Police and Army. The lower form of protection rackets deal in goods which the main racket(Government) deem illegal because there is more money in such activities. The main racket try to protect their incomes and lock the lower rackets up in jail. Life is life, business is business, its all irrelevant in the end.

[joekicker 53]

I dont think there is any Mafia anywhere. Business is Business everywhere.

 

This is the mafia's line for sure. "I'm just doing business." "We just help with supply and demand." "If no one wanted it, we wouldn't be able to deal it, would we?"

 

Helps them sleep, no doubt. Only government decides what's illegal, wac? No other input to that at all?

 

.

[logan 1]

You guys some of you anyway have been watching too many movies and listening to too many experts who profess to know all about how Thailand works.

[MM 6,562]

You guys some of you anyway have been watching too many movies and listening to too many experts who profess to know all about how Thailand works.

Might be true. I've never knowingly encountered any Mafia influence or had any contacts with them while running a business here.

I'm sure they are out there doing their thing, but it's not all pervasive as some might think, even in the P4P scene that I deal with.

[joekicker 53]

You guys some of you anyway have been watching too many movies and listening to too many experts who profess to know all about how Thailand works.

 

The post got cut off here, blasted Internet connections!!!

 

How does it work?

 

.

[ballbag 2]

I think there is a British mafia too

They try to open pubs and English "food" restaurants everywhere in Pattaya

 

 

I think there is a British mafia too

They try to open pubs and English "food" restaurants everywhere in Pattaya

 

TOO RIGHT

[midlifecrisis 4,012]

after that comment you can go fuck yourself!

 

goodbye!

Good Lord I was out of control back then.

 

I again apologize for my behavior in times past.

[MM 6,562]

after that comment you can go fuck yourself!

 

 

goodbye!

Good Lord I was out of control back then.

 

I again apologize for my behavior in times past.

Yes you were. Have you done anything to resolve the sudden anger outbursts?

 

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

 

 

[papillon 695]

At the day-to-day operational level which most farang tourists or ex-pats would notice, there's very little evidence of foreign "mafia" in Pattaya. The Russians and other E. European mobs use Pattaya mainly for money laundering purposes

 

Such as?

 

What money?

 

Why Pattaya?

 

I could go on and on with the questions. What you got?

[Evil Penevil 7,625]

Wow! You quoted a two-sentence post I made two years, seven months ago. Now that has to be a real grudge match!

Or are you just trying to run interference for Gabor?

Such as?

What money?

The proceeds of illegal activities. It could be the profits of international operations like drugs, arms sales, prostitution and human trafficking, or from domestic activities like gambling, smuggling, extortion, kidnapping, etc.

Organized crime in Russia, the Soviet-successor states and East Europe is not a monolith, but several thousand very different gangs. Some are big and sophisticated, others small and crude. But they all share one thing in common - the need to make the proceeds of their criminal activities look legitimate. No matter how many million rubles, dollars, euros, etc. they accumulate, it's no fun if they can't spend that money. They have to have a "cover" to explain their wealth, otherwise a Russian prosecutor could ask, "How can an ex-con with no education, no visible means of support and who pays no taxes afford to live in a 60-room mansion and drive a Lamborghini?"

 

Using money-laundering services abroad makes it far more difficult for LE to prove the mobsters' lifestyles are supported by ill-gotten gains. Considering the huge numbers of Russian tourists who visit Pattaya each year, it wouldn't be hard for the Beet-Soup Boys to send trusted family members with cash or pre-loaded debit cards to Thailand.

Why Pattaya?

Many reasons. Among them:

• Russians don't need a visa to enter for up to 30 days, which makes it easy for the couriers to do laundry runs. It's also easy for Russians who want to stay for long periods to get visas to do so. Rules are much tighter for Russians who want to visit other countries.
• There are many small independent exchange booths and by using a number of them for a series of modest transactions, large amounts of cash can be changed without raising suspicion. The abundance of ATM machines makes it convenient to use pre-loaded debt cards to withdraw cash that went in as dirty dollars or rubles but comes out as squeaky clean baht. Say a card was loaded with USD10,000, which converts to about 300,000 baht. Fifteen trips to various ATMs and you've got it all out with absolutely no paper trail. Do that every day for a few months and you'll have laundered USD1 million.
• At the time I wrote the comment you cited, Thailand had an extremely small and limited anti-money-laundering law enforcement unit. Under international pressure, Thailand has upped it's game in the past two years, but there's still no Thai LE unit that is equipped or trained to tackle Russian money laundering head-on. Little risk, big reward.
• Bars are a convenient legal "entry level" business for Russian mobsters who want to expand internationally. It's easy and relatively inexpensive to set up a gogo bar, nightclub, etc. in Pattaya. Formal licensing is a snap and there's no background check of the owners as in some countries. The mobster has a convenient base while awaiting further opportunities for more lucrative and large-scale ventures like real estate.
• Russian wiseguyskis often prefer to live abroad as life in Russia can carry a big risk of lead poisoning, 9mm style. Pattaya has become a welcoming environment and secure place for them.

I could go on and on with the questions. What you got?

 

And I could go on and on with the answers. I've got enough to answer every question you can think of. Take your best shot.

 

Evil

Edited June 17, 2013 by Evil Penevil

[Gary 4,096]

The best advice for wannabe foreign mobsters is to NEVER take rice out of a Thai's rice bowl. I am sure that there are foreign mobsters here but they certainly pay tribute for the opportunity to operate here. Russians ripping off Russians may be tolerated but there is a cost for that. The police and politicians control the rackets and take their divvy. Rules are rules and if you want to continue breathing, you must abide by the rules. Probably the most firm rule is to never draw attention to your racket by targeting regular tourists. I'm really surprised by the jet ski scams but they are police protected and the operators are Thai.

[midlifecrisis 4,012]

Yes you were. Have you done anything to resolve the sudden anger outbursts?

 

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

 

 

Yes you were. Have you done anything to resolve the sudden anger outbursts?

 

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

I have not acted out in anger for an incredibly long time. Look back through my posts. I have been polite always. I have not insulted others. I ask questions or make comments and move on. I take nothing personally and have no ill will towards others in any way. Their opinions are their opinions and the more divergent the more entertaining I find it. It is somewhat disconcerting that you have not noticed my behavior has improved.

 

I think you have type cast me based on my previous behavior. There was a reason for it but I am not justifying it. I got over what it was. Before that period I was a good member of the board. Reputations ruined are hard to overcome but i do my best. I enjoy the board and mostly always have. When I did not, it was all on me and the rough time I was going through. I could not go out and beat someone over the head so I did it here. My post that I responded to with embarrassment was over two and a half years ago. I was not hearing myself clearly back then. I was shocked, truthfully.

 

I understand that there are consequences to actions but I for one harbor no grudges. I sense that you might. There is always an edge to your replies to me. I don't think it is purely imaginary. I hope I am wrong. I have a great deal of respect for you and admire what you have accomplished in Pats. I don't think I have ever had more fun than I have had on numerous occasions at FLB. You know how to run a bar!

 

The post you replied to was just another form of the many apologies I have made to the board and privately to board members like Joe and C.T. and others. I make one last apology to you. It is in ernest but it is also my last. I have done nothing in a very long time to apologize for and I never will act out in anger here again. If I am not welcome or if I must forever wear some metaphoric scarlet letter in your eyes, perhaps I will never be truly welcome here or in the bar.

 

[MM 6,562]

I was just asking if you had done anything to deal with the (anger) issues.

 

Implicit in that was an acknowledgement that your recent behavior was without those characteristics.

 

Glad to see you back.

 

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

 

 

[midlifecrisis 4,012]

I was just asking if you had done anything to deal with the (anger) issues.

 

Implicit in that was an acknowledgement that your recent behavior was without those characteristics.

 

Glad to see you back.

 

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

I have and I appreciate your response. A good, swift kick in my metaphoric ass by myself was eventually all it took. Only the insane leave sanity behind forever.

 

Thanks, MM!

[atlas2 4,329]

Your username says it all.......I don't recall us having a 'tiff' but I'm glad anyway that you're 'through your personal 'crisis'.

 

'Crisis' is greek for 'opportunity' though it never feels, or appears that way.

 

Personally I don't think you need apologise anymore than you have.....Just change your username to 'Olderandwiser'

[midlifecrisis 4,012]

Your username says it all.......I don't recall us having a 'tiff' but I'm glad anyway that you're 'through your personal 'crisis'.

 

'Crisis' is greek for 'opportunity' though it never feels, or appears that way.

 

Personally I don't think you need apologise anymore than you have.....Just change your username to 'Olderandwiser'

Not a bad idea! I got a bit out of control after my wife of 30 years pulled the rug out from under me. I wanted to hit her over the head but instead took it out on you all.

 

However, I owe her one. If she had not done what she did i never would have discovered Thailand and AC.

 

It is odd but I am much happier now than I have ever been.

 

I should send my ex a dozen of these as a thank you, hehe:

 

http://io9.com/5902828/a-flower-that-smells-like-poop-and-resembles-vagina-dentata