A 28-year-old man arrested on child pornography charges was found to be operating more than 30 pornographic websites during a police raid on his two houses in Chiang Mai and Udon Thani provinces.
Police armed with a warrant arrested Chaiyaphat Junapong in front of a house in San Pa Tong district of Chiang Mai on Friday, said Pol Maj Gen Athip Wongsiwaphai, commander of the Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD).
The arrest followed a tip-off from officials at the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) about networks of pornographic websites they believed to be operating from Thailand.
According to the TCSD commander, many offenders distribute pornographic materials on websites and social media, claiming they feature famous actresses and net idols in order to attract viewers. This causes damage to those wrongly claimed to be depicted.
TCSD investigators have also found that many children and young people had fallen victim to those who produced child pornography for distribution online, said Pol Maj Gen Athip.
The latest investigation found that Mr Chaiyaphat was a member of a major child pornography network, with houses in Chiang Mai and Udon Thani. Investigators then sought court warrants to search the two locations.
Seized from the house in Chiang Mai were a computer and two mobile phones. Officers who examined the devices found more than 10,000 pornographic images and videos had been uploaded.
A search of the suspect’s house in Muang district of Udon Thani found many computers and documents about marketing plans for porn websites there. Eight employees were working there during the raid, said Pol Maj Gen Athip.
Mr Chaiyaphat faces charges of producing and distributing child pornographic materials for trade, putting them into a computer system and possessing child pornography for personal gain.
During questioning, Mr Chaiyaphat denied all charges and said he would give his statement before the court only.
He was held police custody for legal proceedings.
