Two arrested on counterfeiting US currency, land title deeds

NAKHON RATCHASIMA: -- Two Thai men have been apprehended and charged with trading using counterfeit US dollar currency, as well as falsifying counterfeit land title deeds and house registrations, police said.

Police said 63-year-old Saravut Pimpa and 44-year-old Somchai Buaboon were arrested after the authorities found numerous items including 50 counterfeit US$100 bills, nine counterfeit land title deeds, and falsified identification cards allegedly in their possession.

One of those arrested, Mr. Saravut, also had several million baht in his bank accounts.

Police said Mr. Saravut revealed under questioning that he had made false government documents for a long time and confessed that he had purchased the counterfeit US currency from a Cambodian man in the Khmer resort of Koh Kong and then sold each counterfeit 100-dollar bill for Bt350 baht (about US$10) to his customers in Thailand and Laos.

Mr. Saravut reportedly told police that Mr. Somchai was only his driver.

Police said they had issued four arrest warrants for the gang in the past and they were questioning the duo in order to arrest more people in the network, especially those involved in counterfeiting US currency.

-- TNA 2009-11-29

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'Customers' ... I love it! Silly fool

The copies may be worth more than the originals soon at 350 a pop!

Since the USD is hardly worth the paper it's printed on anymore , they'd stuck it rich at Bt350.

I really have to wonder, what happens if we as regular law-abiding 'farang' just so happen to exchange into counterfeit $100 bills, either in Thailand or say in a neighboring country, then go to use them here in Thailand for exchange and get 'discovered'? Are Thai authorities capable of doing a fair investigation? Would you still spend 2 or 3 horrowing nights in a Thai jail with little information, even if you were fully cooperative and forthcoming of where you received the money?