The clock is running out on Red Bull heir Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya. He vanished after flying to Singapore in 2017 and has never faced trial over a policeman’s Ferrari death in Bangkok. His last remaining criminal charge expires on September 3, 2027.
Thailand has entered its final one-year hunt for fugitive Red Bull heir Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya over a policeman’s death. His last charge expires on September 3, 2027, potentially clearing his return after years beyond police reach. Vorayuth fled by private jet in 2017, shortly before prosecutors secured an arrest warrant. His trail ended in Singapore after luxury travel across Europe, Asia and the Middle East. No later sighting has been independently confirmed. Police now insist his Interpol Red Notice remains active inside a restricted system, despite its absence from the organisation’s website. The case began when his Ferrari struck and killed Police Senior Sergeant Major Wichian Klanprasert in 2012. It later brought expired charges, disputed evidence, a reversed prosecution decision and criminal cases against senior officials. Yet Vorayuth has never entered a courtroom.
In one year, Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya could return to Thailand without prosecution over a policeman’s death. His final criminal charge expires on September 3, 2027. The accusation concerns reckless driving causing death. Once it expires, no charge from the 2012 collision will remain.
For now, the Red Bull heir remains wanted under a Thai arrest warrant. He has never faced trial. Yet almost 14 years have passed since Police Senior Sergeant Major Wichian Klanprasert was killed. Vorayuth has remained beyond Thai police reach since April 2017.
Against that deadline, the Royal Thai Police insist their international search remains active. Police Lieutenant General Trairong Phiwphan addressed the operation on September 2. He spoke at police headquarters, one day before the crash’s fourteenth anniversary. Trairong serves as Deputy Inspector General and Royal Thai Police spokesperson.
Interpol Red Notice remains active in closed police system as global search for Vorayuth continues
Significantly, Trairong confirmed that an Interpol Red Notice for Vorayuth remains valid. However, the notice does not appear on Interpol’s public website. Its absence has raised persistent questions about the international search. Trairong said the notice remains active within a restricted police system.
According to him, Interpol distributes information through public and closed channels. Some notices appear on its website. By contrast, restricted records remain available only to police within the Interpol network. Vorayuth’s information sits inside that closed system, Trairong said.
As a result, officers in Interpol member countries can access his records. They can also contact Thai investigators if they find him. In parallel, Thai police continue exchanging information with foreign counterparts. Trairong said those contacts remained constant.
When investigators identify a possible destination, they seek cooperation from that country. Likewise, local police should respond if Vorayuth enters their jurisdiction. Officers would then follow arrangements established through Interpol. Even so, Trairong identified no country where Vorayuth might now be living.
Police reveal no fresh sighting as fatal Ferrari crash and disputed test results return to focus
Notably, police announced no recent sighting. They disclosed no new immigration record or confirmed journey. Nor has any foreign police force reported finding or questioning him. Consequently, his location remains unknown with the final deadline approaching.
The case began before dawn on September 3, 2012. Vorayuth was then 27 and driving a black Ferrari along Bangkok’s Sukhumvit Road. Shortly before 5.40 am, the car struck Wichian’s motorcycle near Thong Lor Police Station. Wichian served at that station.
On impact, the Ferrari dragged the policeman and his motorcycle for more than 100 metres. Wichian was left dead in the road. Nevertheless, the Ferrari did not remain at the scene. Instead, it continued towards the nearby Yoovidhya family compound.
Investigators followed leaking brake fluid from Sukhumvit Road to the property. There, they found the damaged Ferrari. Initially, a family employee claimed he had driven the car. Police rejected that account and identified Vorayuth as the driver.
Soon afterwards, Vorayuth admitted driving the Ferrari. He disputed the reckless-driving accusation. Tests reportedly detected alcohol above the legal limit and traces of cocaine. His lawyers later challenged the meaning of those results.
Vorayuth misses repeated summonses while photographs chart luxury travel across three continents
Specifically, they said the cocaine resulted from dental treatment. They also maintained that he consumed alcohol only after returning home. Police charged him with speeding, failing to assist a victim and reckless driving causing death. Despite those accusations, he was released on bail.
Over the following years, Vorayuth repeatedly failed to answer prosecutors’ summonses. His lawyers cited illness, overseas business and unfair treatment. Meanwhile, the statutory clocks continued running. Prosecutors still failed to bring him before a court.
By September 2013, the speeding charge had expired. Only one year had passed since Wichian’s death. During that period, Vorayuth continued travelling internationally. His movements were neither rare nor entirely concealed.
Three months after the crash, he attended Bangkok’s Red Bull Singha Race of Champions. A photograph showed him smiling in a Red Bull cap. A VIP pass hung around his neck. Subsequently, photographers spotted him at the 2013 British Grand Prix.
At Silverstone, Vorayuth watched from Red Bull’s VIP area. Elsewhere, photographs and social-media posts recorded further international trips. The material placed him across Europe, Asia and the Middle East. His destinations included France, Italy, Japan, Laos and the United Arab Emirates.
Social media trail places Vorayuth in Abu Dhabi, Japan and Laos before reporters find him in London
In Abu Dhabi, he was pictured beside a swimming pool. In Nice, posts showed him dining. Separately, other material placed him cruising in Venice. Further photographs documented visits to Japan.
During one Japanese trip, Vorayuth joined a snowboarding holiday at the Annupuri ski resort. Friends posted a group photograph taken during a mountain break. The online material identified him through his “Bossrbr” account. Relatives and friends also included him in photographs and conversations.
Using those posts, an Associated Press investigation reconstructed his movements. Early in 2017, reporters traced his family to Luang Prabang, Laos. They stayed at a resort charging about US$1,000 per night. The group visited temples, ate at an expensive restaurant and relaxed beside the pool.
Afterwards, the family flew back to Bangkok. At that stage, Vorayuth was still travelling despite avoiding prosecutors. On another front, he maintained substantial connections with London. His family owned a home there.
He reportedly kept a black Porsche Carrera in the British capital. The vehicle carried the personalised registration B055 RBR. That registration linked his nickname with the initials of Red Bull Racing. In April 2017, Associated Press reporters found him at the family’s London address.
Boss flew by private jet to Singapore before indictment as prosecutors finally secured a warrant
When approached, Vorayuth declined to answer questions. Later, he left the property with relatives and luggage. Despite his years of missed summonses, he then returned to Thailand. He entered the country on April 23, 2017.
Two days later, Vorayuth flew to Singapore aboard a private jet. His departure preceded another compulsory prosecutorial appointment by two days. That appearance was intended to begin the indictment process. Rather than attend, he left Thailand.
The missed appointment added to almost five years of delays. In response, prosecutors finally sought an arrest warrant. By then, Vorayuth had already arrived in Singapore. Singaporean officials confirmed that he stayed there for two days.
On April 27, he departed the city-state. Crucially, the private aircraft remained behind. Officials never publicly established how he left or where he travelled next. Thai and Singaporean police coordinated during the initial search.
Despite that cooperation, neither country announced an onward destination. Thailand revoked Vorayuth’s passport on May 5, 2017. Police expected the cancellation to restrict his movements. It produced neither his arrest nor his return.
Unconfirmed reports place Vorayuth across Europe as his public Interpol notice disappears from view
Since then, reports have linked him with several possible locations. Those accounts mentioned London, Dubai, Austria and other parts of Europe. Other reports suggested movement between family properties and countries connected with Red Bull. None of those locations has been officially verified.
More importantly, no independent photograph has established his location since April 2017. No foreign government has confirmed his presence. No police service has publicly reported questioning him. The departure from Singapore remains his last established movement.
Back in Thailand, the legal clock continued running. The failure-to-assist charge expired in September 2017. Thus, another criminal accusation ended without reaching trial. Only the reckless-driving case remained alive.
As part of the international search, Interpol issued a Red Notice at Thailand’s request. The notice sought help locating Vorayuth and coordinating any possible arrest. However, it disappeared from Interpol’s public website in 2018. That disappearance brought renewed scrutiny of the search.
Thai police maintained that international efforts continued. Now, Trairong says the notice remained accessible through Interpol’s closed system. In his account, foreign police never lost access to Vorayuth’s information. Still, nobody returned him to Thailand.
Prosecutors revive the final charge after 2020 reversal before eight former senior officials face court
The case changed direction again in July 2020. Prosecutors unexpectedly dropped the remaining reckless-driving charge. Their decision relied partly upon new testimony about the Ferrari’s speed. The revised evidence placed it at approximately 76 kilometres per hour.
Earlier forensic calculations had put the speed considerably higher. One new witness was Air Chief Marshal Chakkrit Thanomkulbutr. He said Wichian’s motorcycle moved into the Ferrari’s path. Later, another important witness died in a motorcycle crash.
Following the non-prosecution decision, the government and prosecution service ordered reviews. Investigators re-examined the collision evidence and the case’s handling. They then found grounds to restore the reckless-driving accusation. They also examined a cocaine-related charge.
Ultimately, the cocaine accusation expired under its limitation period. That left reckless driving causing death as the only surviving case. Its statutory period runs for 15 years from Wichian’s death. Accordingly, it closes on September 3, 2027.
The controversy also brought criminal proceedings against senior officials. In February 2024, prosecutors indicted eight former officials over suspected interference. The proceedings examined evidence changes and the abandoned prosecution. Defendants included senior police officers, prosecutors and other figures connected with the case.
Two former prosecutors receive prison terms as police race to act before the final charge expires
Then, in April 2025, the Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases delivered its ruling. Former Deputy Attorney-General Net Naksuk received three years in prison. Former prosecutor Chainarong Sangthongaram received two years. Both appealed their convictions.
At the same time, the court acquitted six other defendants for insufficient evidence. They included former national police chief Somyot Poompanmoung. Those proceedings punished two former prosecutors, subject to appeal. They did not produce Vorayuth’s arrest.
Nearly 14 years after the crash, the case now rests on one charge and one deadline. The speeding accusation expired in 2013. The failure-to-assist accusation followed in 2017. More recently, the cocaine-related case also became time-barred.
Only the accusation of reckless driving causing death remains. Police therefore have one year to locate Vorayuth and advance the prosecution. They say the arrest warrant remains active. They also say Interpol still carries his restricted Red Notice.
For its part, the Royal Thai Police reports continuing exchanges with foreign countries. Officers can send information when they identify a possible destination. Foreign police can also alert Thailand if they locate Vorayuth. Yet no such breakthrough has been announced.
Public trail ends in Singapore as Vorayuth remains abroad and final prosecution deadline closes in
At present, police have disclosed no verified residence, recent photograph or confirmed journey. They have not named a country sheltering him. Equally, no foreign government has acknowledged his presence. Publicly, the trail still ends in Singapore.
Vorayuth arrived there by private jet on April 25, 2017. Two days later, he departed while leaving the aircraft behind. From that point, his movements disappeared from the confirmed public record. Various reports followed, but none established where he settled.
Meanwhile, the case continued without its central suspect. Evidence was reconsidered, charges expired and senior officials entered court. Two former prosecutors received prison sentences, although both appealed. Six other defendants were acquitted.
Minister cited by the Corruption Commission for ‘minor’ role in Boss Vorayuth corruption scandal
Interpol Red Notice for ‘Boss’ Vorayuth as Police authorities in Bangkok seek to bring him to trial
Throughout that period, Vorayuth remained outside Thailand. He has never entered a plea over Wichian’s death. He has never answered the reckless-driving charge before a judge. Furthermore, he has never faced a trial examining the collision evidence.
The remaining warrant stays enforceable until September 3, 2027. Before then, police must find him and take the required legal steps. Otherwise, the last prosecution arising from the fatal crash will be barred by time. Vorayuth could then return without facing any surviving charge over Wichian’s death.
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Further reading:
Minister cited by the Corruption Commission for ‘minor’ role in Boss Vorayuth corruption scandal
Interpol Red Notice for ‘Boss’ Vorayuth as Police authorities in Bangkok seek to bring him to trial
Assistant Attorney General in Red Bull case named as a senior prosecutor to central Bangkok district
Murder charge against ‘Boss’ Yoravuth should have been weighed after mowing down policeman
Explosive report on the Red Bull scandal exposing ‘corruption’ due at the Prime Minister’s office
Boss Vorayuth case key witness dies riding his motorbike early on Thursday morning in Chiang Mai
Expert stands by evidence that Red Bull Boss Vorayuth’s Ferrari was travelling at 177 km/ph
Strong new evidence suggests that there was no basis to prosecute Red Bull driver ‘Boss’ Vorayuth
