A fugitive British gang member who allegedly illegally streamed Premier League football games and other UK shows has been arrested in Thailand.

Zak Timothy Smith, 30, from Wolverhampton, West Midlands, and five other suspects allegedly broadcast football matches and international TV shows to viewers in the UK over five years, causing damages of more than 7 million GBP to the rights owners.

They allegedly used the names Flawless IPTV, Shared VPS and Optimal before being found guilty in May at Chesterfield Justice Centre for conspiracy to defraud, money laundering and contempt of court.

The group was sentenced to a combined 30 years of jail with ringleader Mark Gould, 36, jailed for 11 years.

However, Zak allegedly fled to Thailand where he was found staying with a Thai girlfriend in a rental villa on the island of Koh Samui in Surat Thani province on July 8.

Surat Thani Immigration Bureau officials raided the Briton's home when they flagged him for overstaying his visa by 16 days. They matched the name with the police reports online about the arrest warrant for illegal streaming.

Footage shows officers interrogating the Brit. When the officers confronted him at the rental home, Zak said: 'I've been sick. I meant to get an extension, but I've been sick'.

He added that he planned to leave 'after a month' after getting an extension.

Officers claimed that Zak had evaded the court appointment in the UK related to his alleged fraud, money laundering, and contempt of court cases.

Police Major Taweelab said: 'Foreigners who stay in the country while breaking laws cannot hide for long. In this case, the visa was overstayed and the foreigner will be deported.

'We discovered from the UK government that the overstayer was wanted for crimes in the UK. We asked him about this and we do not want him in the country.

'We are co-ordinating with British officials to ensure he is deported.'

Zak was detained at the Koh Samui police station for questioning and is set to be deported to the UK after undergoing legal proceedings in Thailand.

He will also be blacklisted to prevent him from re-entering the Southeast Asian country, officials said.

The arrest came as Police Lieutenant General Pakpoompipat Sajjapan, commissioner of the Immigration Bureau, issued a directive for immigration authorities to hunt down overstaying foreigners in the islands of Koh Samui, Koh Pha Ngan, and Koh Tao.