An operation involving 50 police officers was launched in Suphan Buri and Phetchaburi provinces as part of the Royal Thai Police and government’s policy to tackle illegal loan sharks.

A key target was a house in Phetchaburi owned by Chanpen Kaewmeesee, a 32-year-old lender known in the business as “Sai Jad Tem”. Officers found a bunch of document folders that kept records of loans as well as five guns stored in a safe on the second floor of the house.

Police also searched Chanpen’s office premises, which hosts a business branded “Excellent”, and found 20 motorcycles. All the items were confiscated for further examination.

It was found that Chanpen had more than Bt100 million in circulation. She also owned three of the five guns found in her house. The two others belonged to her boyfriend Suradet Suksamran, 39, a member of the municipality of the province’s Tambon Ban Lad who was also at Chanpen’s house during the raid.

The guns were all found to be legally owned. But Suradet was charged with illegally carrying firearms in public because his guns were found in another person’s house.

Chanpen allegedly confessed to lending money for more than eight years, starting with Bt90,000 capital.

She was charged with lending money at interest rates higher than permitted by law.

Police also cracked down on another loan-shark network under the name “Cheap Development Company” in Suphan Buri. The company has been registered as a finance business.

Investigators said that the network had more than Bt4 million in circulation.

Police said the two loan-shark networks were unconnected.