Bangkok: Relations between Thailand and Cambodia have taken a serious turn for the worse following coordinated raids by Thai police on properties linked to Cambodian Senator and gambling magnate Kok An, a close associate of Senate President Hun Sen.

According to Philippines News Agency, the raids, carried out Tuesday in 19 different locations, led to the seizure of luxury cars and more than 27 million baht (about 830,000 euros), as part of a wider operation aimed at dismantling transnational cyber fraud networks. Thai officials have issued an arrest warrant for Kok An - known as the "Godfather of Poipet" - accusing him of orchestrating scams involving Thai and Singaporean bank accounts, fake police stations in Cambodian casinos, and extortion tactics using impersonators, some of them former officers.

Benedikt Hofmann, acting representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Bangkok, noted that the operation marks 'a significant development' in the fight against cross-border criminal networks active in the Mekong basin, as quoted by 'Nikkei Asia'.

The Cambodian government has condemned the raids, calling them politically motivated. Interior Ministry spokesman Touch Sokhak accused Thailand of attempting to deflect attention from its domestic political crisis and a recent alleged military incursion into Cambodian territory that resulted in a soldier's death.

The raids come amid heightened tensions over longstanding border disputes and the controversial release of a leaked recording involving Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, suspended following the incident. Kok An, 71, is one of Cambodia's wealthiest and most politically connected businessmen. His assets span gambling, real estate, energy, and consumer goods. His daughter, Juree Khlongkijjakol - linked to one of the raided Bangkok villas - is reportedly overseas.