BANGKOK — Thailand is auctioning a luxury yacht seized from foreign businessman Ben Smith, who is accused of fraud and money laundering and has been linked to Cambodian scam operations, authorities announced on June 18.
The yacht, named Atlas, will be sold next week on the resort island of Phuket with a starting price of US$18.3 million (S$23.6 million). A Strider speedboat also seized from Smith, with a starting price of US$247,000, will be auctioned alongside it on June 23, according to a spokesperson for the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO).
“Interested parties are welcome to participate in the auction,” the agency said in a Facebook statement.
Smith, a South African also known as Benjamin Mauerberger, and his wife Cattaliya Beevor are currently on the run. Thai police accuse them of involvement in a cross-border investment fraud scheme dating back to 2016. Media reports have previously linked Smith to transnational scam operations in Cambodia, part of a multibillion-dollar illicit industry that has expanded significantly in the region.
In March, a criminal court issued arrest warrants for Smith and Beevor on fraud and money-laundering charges and ordered the seizure of assets worth more than US$410 million. Thai police said they would work with Interpol to seek a Red Notice alert to locate Smith, who was last recorded entering Thailand in 2025.