Arrests in Thailand were part of Operation First Light 2026, a 97-country crackdown that logged 5,811 arrests and $293 million in intercepted illicit assets.
A crypto wallet linked to a 20-year-old fraud suspect processed more than $122.5 million over 10 months, Interpol said, as Thai police arrested two people in a money-laundering investigation tied to romance-scam proceeds routed through crypto and cross-chain token swaps. The wallet figure reflects total flow through the address, not a standing balance, and Interpol did not identify the wallet, the assets or blockchains involved, how much came from theft, or how much Thai authorities recovered. The case formed part of Operation First Light 2026, a coordinated effort across 97 countries and territories that Interpol said led to 5,811 arrests, $293 million in intercepted illicit assets and more than 142,000 identified victims. The case also underscores how cross-chain swaps can complicate investigations by moving funds across multiple ledgers, increasing the tracing burden before money reaches an off-ramp linked to a real-world identity. The Financial Action Task Force (global anti-money-laundering watchdog) warned in a March 2026 report that cross-chain activity can sit outside some counter-illicit-finance controls and urged authorities to build expertise in smart contracts (self-executing blockchain code), blockchain analytics and peer-to-peer risks. Interpol said the broader operation ran from Jan. 15 through April 30 after an initial intelligence-gathering period and combined intelligence sharing with raids, account and wallet freezes, notices and requests through I-GRIP, a mechanism designed to block illicit flows in fiat and virtual assets.