Was cash bust at Lao border part of bigger operation?

By The Nation

 

 

Suspecting that the two Lao men arrested on Tuesday trying to cross the border into Laos from Nong Khai with more than Bt98 million in undeclared Thai banknotes might be part of a larger criminal undertaking, Thai Customs officials plan to discuss the matter with their Lao counterparts.

 

Nong Khai Customs chief Nimit Saeng-ampai said on Wednesday the suspects’ Toyota Land Cruiser had been in and out of Thailand at least nine times.

 

The same vehicle is believed to have been used to transport cash each time, possibly to avoid detection by Lao authorities, he said.

Tuesday’s stash was allegedly found hidden inside milk boxes and in the engine compartment.

 

Investigators from the Office of the Narcotics Control Board and the Anti-Money Laundering Office joined Customs agents in examining the case of arrested siblings Suebanh Tiasili, 30, and Khumborn Tiasyly, 24.

 

The duo applied for bail release, offering to leave all the confiscated cash to the Thai state, Nimit said.

 

They were released on bail, but the cash and vehicle were seized, along with their passports, pending further investigation.

 

Nimit said officials were trying to verify the brothers’ claim that their family was in the currency-exchange business and they’d collected US$2.8 million worth of Thai banknotes at various banks in Nong Khai to take into Laos.

 

He noted that the baht was currently stronger against the US dollar than the Lao kip, so it was unlikely the money exchange was aimed at turning a profit.

 

Thai law prohibits amounts exceeding Bt450,000 to be carried outside the country without the relevant officials being notified.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30333830

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-12-13

If they can afford to walk away from B98m ( we know they will not turn up after being released on bail) it makes one wonder the depth of this operation.

"Thai Customs officials plan to discuss the matter with their Lao counterparts."

Seems in the picture,they have come to an agreement already .And everybody seems content .Happy end............every body more than happy ,even the 2 smuglers were free to walk,and maybe have already a new id-card ........

Good work !

Do they sell Richard Mille watches in Laos? Seems everyone wants one now.

Brilliant investigation. Release them on bail and hope (or don't hope) they come back. Some criminals lose money and some criminals gain it. And all with zero offenders punished. It's as if they're simply a business and nothing more. 

Ah new watches and shiny rings.

5 hours ago, PatOngo said:

Do they sell Richard Mille watches in Laos? Seems everyone wants one now.

Maybe they were buying them for Thai government official's  New Year gifts. Now the officials know they do not have to say where they got them from

Works the same in America.  Going north and east from Mexico, the dogs are trained to sniff for drugs.

 

Going back south and west, the dogs are trained to sniff for money. ?

if they can walk away from 2.2 million pound,they must have made alot of money allready

Loa Kip would have made them billionaire's, just over 25 Billion. US dollar is just over 3 million. Someone cant count.

No owner to collect the money..... its christmas for a few

I just wonder if the tipster gets a cut of the money.

i wonder how much was there on the first count