The Thom Network
Cambodia is a beautiful country in the Southeast Asia (SEA) region. Cambodia has a rich history with many ancient Buddhist temples including the largest Buddhist temple called Angkor Wat. The Cambodian people are locally known as Khmai’s and internationally, Khmer. Cambodia like many poor countries are exploited for Cambodia’s cheap labor and complete disregard for human rights from western multi-national corporations (MNCs) e.g. the fast fashion industry, beverage industry, tobacco industry, etc. Like many exploited poor countries, the Khmai use the alternative economy also known as the black market to supplement the low income. Cambodia is in the Golden Triangle, a utopia for illicit drugs trafficking. The primary Cambodian drug trafficking organization (DTO) is the Thom network; “Thom” means city in Khmai. This brief essay intends to discuss the Thom network’s operations to include money laundering and the highly effective defensive strategies employed to thwart international counter-narcotics law enforcement (LE).
Thom network’s Illicit Drug Operations
Cambodia is a production hub and subsequent trafficking for high-grade heroin, marijuana, MDMA, and various other controlled prescription drugs sold over the counter in Cambodia.1 The Thom network controls and protects production from cradle to transport. All the illicit drug trade routes in Cambodia are owned by the Thom network. The rivers are extensively used for cross-border drug trafficking because border security is notoriously relaxed and/or easily bribed. Another popular drug trafficking method and routes used are via donkeys and caravans. Tour buses are also used for cross-border drug trafficking to Vietnam, Laos, Burma, and Thailand. The Thom network rarely uses routes it cannot control like international airports instead opting for military airlift. Corruption is the key to the Thom network’s drug trafficking success.
Cambodia’s government is one of the most corrupt governments in the world akin to the US government but with an order of magnitude less spending power. The former Thom network boss, Teng Bunma, died in 2016, was a heavy political lobbyist (bribery consultant). In Hun Sen’s 1998 Prime Minister election campaign, Bunma gave tens of millions to the Sen’s re-election bid.2 Because the PM was in the pocket of Bunma, then the Thom network became untouchable. Bunma also bribed LE and businessmen alike. Today, the LE from the courts to the PM to the military and police force make up the untouchable Thom network. The Thom network freely exploits the Cambodian government’s military airlift, Navy, etc.
Offense
The US’s intelligence community’s (IC) primary counter-narcotics detail in Asia is the Joint Interagency Task Force-West (JIATF). The JIATF’s area of responsibility (AOR) is Indo-China counter-narcotics operations to include the Golden Triangle.3 The JIATF-West usually works with the host nation in counter-narcotics interdiction. However, Cambodia’s LE and government are in bed with the Thom network. All offensive strategies would be thwarted from the start. According to the US State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, all drug trafficking arrests were made against the Thom networks’ competitors.4 When drugs are seized by local LE, then the drugs are re-routed into the Thom network’s supply and distribution routes; the researcher’s neighbor would always brag about this when stoned. For fake news, the Cambodian government sets up a drug burning party. However, the bonfire is full of other substances. For JIATF-West and other international LE operations to be effective in Cambodia, the former Khmer Rouge General and current PM Sen must be replaced. As long as PM Sen is in charge, the Bunma’s continued family legacy of millions in campaign bribes will continue to thrive in narcotics trafficking.
Defense
The Thom network is military-centric first. The Thom network relies mostly on special operation forces (SOF). SOF in every military is accustomed to working outside the law while still following a hierarchical command structure. The Thom network seamlessly integrates SOF mercenaries. The top protective services’ commanders are all former special operation commandos. The Thom network recruits directly from the military with a desire for special operators with intelligence experience in cross-border influence. The Thom network also recruits foreigners with military experience, international connections, and illicit finance knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs). Military experience, especially SOF experience, is the first defense mechanism to thwart foreign LE counter-illicit drugs operations.
The Thom network pays the immigration officials. The immigration officials are expected to report all fit travelers between the ages of 20–45 visiting from adversary countries. The Thom network uses its vast tuk-tuk network for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) of the travelers. The Thom network’s SOF interrogators usually hang out at various Phnom Penh bars including the Pickled Parrot on Street 104, Corner 136 Bar on Street 136, the Sundance Hotel on Street 172, and Mao’s whiskey bar. All interrogators know the best place to juice information are bars when boozing.
The Thom network provides “protected” services to all foreigner-owned businesses, a value added business tax. As part of the unofficial protected services agreement, foreign business owners must report when possible foreign secret agents are visiting e.g. fit males or females between the ages of 25–45 and usually non-illicit drug users. The suspected agents are then 24/7 ISR-ed for non-holiday activities. Foreign SOF operators will follow then do a Scharff friendly interrogation.5 If a suspected agent turns out to be an actual secret agent, then the Thom network will first attempt blackmail via the ubiquitous in-room CCTV feeds and dating prostitutes e.g. how Russia has blackmail on POTUS45 for the infamous golden shower hookers in Moscow. Blackmail almost always works. However, if by some miracle the secret agent is immune to blackmail, then a variety of other SOF tactics are employed e.g. threatening family members, fall guy exploits, beatings, torture, death, etc. The Thom network is a classic DTO.
The Thom network mandates all foreign-owned businesses pay T-money. Locally owned businesses are typically exempt from T-money unless a member of the opposition party, formerly known as Cambodia’s National Rescue Party (CNRP). T-money is a 10–20% fee or tax of foreign business revenues weekly collected. The unofficial tax or T-money protects the foreign-owned businesses from financial audits, law enforcement fall guy raids, smoking ban, etc. If LE sees smoking inside foreign-owned businesses, then to avoid a fine the clerk and/or owner is instructed to pay T-money directly to the LE officer. T-money helps fund the illicit drugs operations and keeps the network informed of potential bad actors.
Another easier way to identify foreign bad actors is playing pool and exploiting Freemason numerology and open secret communications. China recently acknowledged a weird ability to find black ops’ CIAs and a possible compromise of a secure communications network.6 Playing the Freemason numbers’ exploit is a much easier way to find out people’s KSAs. If lowly students can observe the Freemason open secrets, decipher the numbers, and the psychological intentions, then a big budget defense DTO like the Thom network would surely be able to do the same.
In nearly every luxury hotel especially in emerging market countries, an in-room CCTV feed is usually set up as a potential blackmail scheme. Cambodia extensively uses covert feeds. The covert feed is usually activated when the hotel guest inputs the room key into the power slot. The covert feed is hidden as a pinhole camera in stuffed animals, air-conditioning units, spotlights, etc. The covert feed is used to monitor potential foreign agents. The covert feed is also used as future blackmail against rich business travelers. The in-room CCTV feeds provide the Thom network with yet another avenue to defend against international LE via blackmail.
Money Laundering
Money laundering is the act of moving illicit funds into the legitimate economy. There are three steps to effective money laundering e.g. placement, layering, and integration.7 The placement step is the most challenging step to move illicit funds directly from illicit proceeds to a legitimate business. The next money laundering step involves layering or shrouding the illicit proceeds through legitimate financial institutions. The last step in money laundering is integrating the layered funds into licit assets e.g. stocks, bonds, real estate, etc.8 Money laundering, like washing clothes, cleans the “dirty” off the illicit funds and transforms the funds into legitimate legal opportunities.
The Thom network employs the money laundering steps of placement, layering, and integration. Upon collecting funds from illicit drug sales, the Thom network uses Bunmas’ legitimate businesses to place the illicit drug sale proceeds. Bunmas’ legitimate businesses include a luxury hotel called the Intercontinental, Cambodia Mekong Bank, Olympic Market, Thai Boon Roong Group, Regency Square, and Rasmei Kampuchea Daily Newspaper. The hotel rooms are almost always fully booked at the Intercontinental. However, the rooms are very rarely full of guests, classic money laundering scheme. Placement is a cinch because the Thom network owns this hotel.
Next, the Thom network layers in the illicit funds from the Intercontinental into Bunma’s bank, the Cambodia Mekong Bank. As a bank owner, Bunma and the Thom network’s deposited funds were never flagged as suspicious. Bunma’s other legitimate businesses were also used to layer the funds. Lastly, the illicit funds are integrated back into Bunma’s legitimate businesses for expansion, new real estate, and legitimate investments in agriculture and mining.9 Money laundering illicit drug sales and owning banks are like having a cake and eating it too.
Conclusion
The Thom network is Cambodia’s primary DTO. The JIATF-West along with coalition services have had no success on penetrating the Thom network’s defenses. The Thom network is a classic example of an untouchable DTO because of its vast resources, influence, and connections. The Thom network will continue drug trafficking operations unabashed as long as SOF continues playing craftsmen’s defense. In this essay, the researcher discussed the IC communities’ means of combating the Thom network’s DT operations as well as ways the Thom network can continue to evade international law enforcement with the continued backing of Cambodia’s PM, military officials, businessmen, and politicians.
Bibliography
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8Schott, Paul. “Reference Guide to Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the …” The World Bank. January 2006. Accessed September 8, 2018. http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EXTAML/Resources/396511-1146581427871/Reference_Guide_AMLCFT_2ndSupplement.pdf.
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