An illegal casino run by a Chinese gangster was raided by police amid a crackdown on gambling dens in Thailand.

Cops poured into the under-construction building in the notoriously corrupt 'Sin City' of Pattaya on November 9, following tips that it was being used for 'suspicious' business activities by Chinese mobsters.

The establishment was formerly a Thai barbecue restaurant but was closed down for renovations.

Armed with a search warrant, police raided the premises and were shocked to find it was being repurposed as a baccarat casino.

Lavish carpeting covered the large hall that had been converted into a well-appointed mezzanine, with six baccarat tables, a Dragon Tiger table, and hundreds of dice and decks of cards being stored inside.

Also found in the sprawling gambling den were two VIP rooms, a chip exchange room, a CCTV room, a kitchen, and several toilets and storage rooms.

Colonel Khemmarin Pisamai, Trat immigration police superintendent, said: 'We were stunned upon seeing the fully-decorated casino interior. The tables, chairs, and tea tables were brand new.'

The casino stands on a 16-rai plot of land being rented by a Chinese national since 2016. The land was also being used to house a boxing stadium, a karaoke, and two restaurants - all of which were closed during the pandemic.

Officers have detained a 17-year-old resident claiming to be the casino's caretaker. They are currently tracking down the den's operator, known only as a Chinese man named Ming.

The raid came amid a crackdown across the country on gangs from Communist China abusing the freedoms and of neigbouring Thailand to run criminal enterprises including gambling dens, boiler rooms, trafficking, prostitution and drugs.

Last month it emerged that Chinese businessman Chaiyanant Kornchayanant, who had made a three million baht donation to the ruling party, was also running a pub in Bangkok's Yan Nawa district where 50 of the 300 customers, mostly Chinese, tested positive for drug use. It was suggested that his payments to high-ranking officials allowed him to operate with impunity, with police turning a blind eye.

The Chinese Embassy in Bangkok, the diplomatic outpost of the genocidal regime, has since issued platitudes 'acknowledging several criminal cases subject to Thai police investigation'.

They said the Chinese government 'places importance on law enforcement and the suppression of illegal gambling, illegal narcotics and indecent acts'.

Chinese gangs have also targeted Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar in their ruthless pursuit of ill-gotten wealth.