S Korean man arrested at Suvarnabhumi Airport for smuggling 12kg gold

[HerbalEd]

Since it is impossible to wire money out of Thailand that you have not before wired in, it is clear why he wanted to "export" these gold bars. Remember to keep those foreign exchange forms if remitting bigger amounts to Thailand and expect to take it out of Thailand in the future otherwise smuggling gold will be your only option, too.

Actually precious stones are a much better option. But you gotta know how to evaluate stones or have a completely trustworthy seller.

[tomyummer]

The $20,000 travel limit is so stupid. Thais travel with 'personal' items totally more than that, credit cards have limits more than that, politicians used to take out tens of suitcases of valuable out if I can recall. Poor little Korean dude. Just another robbery by customs. Next thing you know, they'll raise the luxury car taxes again to screw the few 1,000 rich annual buyers.

[HerbalEd]

The $20,000 travel limit is so stupid. Thais travel with 'personal' items totally more than that, credit cards have limits more than that, politicians used to take out tens of suitcases of valuable out if I can recall. Poor little Korean dude. Just another robbery by customs. Next thing you know, they'll raise the luxury car taxes again to screw the few 1,000 rich annual buyers.

$20K is not the travel "limit" ... it's the level at which you have to declare.

[ratcatcher]

If I had a 100kg+ hand luggage I would look suspicious as well

Quality reporting...not

12Kg. X 12 is 144Kg.

IMHO he was more likely carrying 12 of these 12 x 1kg = 12kg

rather than 12 of these = about 144kg

[ratcatcher]

Sorry double post.

Edited July 3, 2014 by ratcatcher

[Chao Lao Beach]

So if he declared these 12 bars, would there be any tax on them ?

[tomyummer]

The $20,000 travel limit is so stupid. Thais travel with 'personal' items totally more than that, credit cards have limits more than that, politicians used to take out tens of suitcases of valuable out if I can recall. Poor little Korean dude. Just another robbery by customs. Next thing you know, they'll raise the luxury car taxes again to screw the few 1,000 rich annual buyers.

$20K is not the travel "limit" ... it's the level at which you have to declare.

Corrected. But nontheless a stupid travel limit before declaration amount. Thank god for credit cards.

[gemguy]

its against the law to take gold out of thailand?

----------------

As far as I know, it is not.

But you can be sure that if you show up attempting to leave Thailand with 12 one kilogram bars of gold in your luggage someone will ask you for verification that it is your legally acquired gold.

if you can prove that you have it legally and that any required taxes on it have been paid .... thank you sir, you may leave.

If you can't produce such proof you are going to face some probing questions at best.

I presume that's why he was stopped in the first place.

And, yes, ALL checked baggage is now scanned before it is put on (at least) any international flight from the airport.

Don't be so silly as to believe that checked baggage doesn't go through a scan before it is loaded on a plane these days.

Gold bars would show up easily on a scan ..... they are so dense only a fool could miss them on a security scan.

The gold could have been totally illegal gold and never registered anywhere along the line of buying and selling.

You can buy physical gold here in Thailand no problem and it is not illegal to do so.

The price is as competitive as anywhere in the world as Thailand is a large gold trading country with huge amounts used for jewelry manufacturing.

I may be wrong but I believe the gold trading is exempt from the 7% VAT as 7% added on would create a large black market while gold trading is commonly extremely marginal.

The gold brokers and gold trading companies who daily trade the gold make their profits on the buy / sell trading commissions on behalf of the client buying or selling the gold.

I would surmise the gold entering into Korea is subjected to unacceptable duties and tariffs.

Meantime...yes, if you do by the gold legally and have all the documentation then I believe you can leave the country with the gold.

But I would not be surprised if there is more to it than simply buying it with documentation and then leaving with it through the air port.

Edited July 3, 2014 by gemguy

[BigC]

What was he planning on doing with the gold?

Was in purchased illegally?

[BigC]

What right do the Thais have to take this guy's gold?

There are laws so much money people can take out the country

[brianP]

Was it 24 karat gold or the 20-22 karat the chinese and Thais like, big difference in price.

[SOTIRIOS]

....no photos this time.....???

[Suradit69]

12 x 12kg bars = 4629 troy ounces, @ US$1300/ounce and THB30/dollar = THB180.5 million.

And he probably won't get a refund on his excess luggage charges.

Usually it's some tourist who claims he/she was out for a stroll at 3:00 am on Beach Road in Pattaya and had his/her bag stolen by a jet ski lady boy flashing a plastic AK47 and that the bag contained 5 mobile phones, several million in various foreign currencies as well as 12 x 12 kilo of gold.

From their appearance the bars would be one kilo each at a maximum.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/webmobile/national/South-Korean-held-over-smuggling-charges-30237622.html

Edited July 3, 2014 by Suradit69

[IMA_FARANG]

There is an article in the "other English language newspaper in Bangkok". that is to say the Bangkok Post, that makes this much clearer.

It was, in fact, 12 Gold bars of 1 Kg each for a total of 12Kg of Gold.

The reason he was detained was that he was specifically asked if he was carrying Gold in his carry on luggage (in a briefcase) and when he replied he had no gold he was then told that under Thai laws exporting that amount of Gold must be declared to customs.

He was then asked again if he was carrying Gold bars, and he replied again he was not.

Apparently they already knew he had the Gold in his baggage, as it had been scanned and they had seen the Gild there on the scan.

The specific reason he was detained was because they then opened the briefcase, and saw the Gold he had twice denied he was carrying..

Bottom line: he was detained for being a d- -b s- -t and not knowing he had been caught in a lie TWICE to them.

I mean, come on, when your caught with you d- -k hanging out......

[Suradit69]

Of course there is always the chance that it wasn't the real thing that was ''discovered'' and perhaps the real thing is now elsewhere.

Remember this is Thailand and some of its exports are questionable regarding ownership and origin final destination and possible long term use too.

"Remember this is Thailand and some of its exports are questionable regarding ownership and origin final destination and possible long term use too."

Wow. The Thai bashing becomes even more incoherent & garbled as the Farang Fantasy Factory blows smoke 24/7.

[Thanet]

12 x 12kg bars = 4629 troy ounces, @ US$1300/ounce and THB30/dollar = THB180.5 million.

And he probably won't get a refund on his excess luggage charges.

[Suradit69]

I know that in some countries you need to declare cash or cash substitutes, but I was not aware that you had to make such a declaration leaving Thailand. I know you can't take Thai currency out of Thailand, but nobody would want to do that anyway.

I seriously doubt that carrying gold out of Thailand is a real criminal offence. Of course there is the potential for it being part of a broader offence.

If there is a limit for gold then what is it, and how does it apply to people with heavy gold jewellery.

Of course there is no question about the need to declare it coming in to the country, but honestly I wouldn't even know how to declare taking it out !

"I know you can't take Thai currency out of Thailand, but nobody would want to do that anyway."

Wrong.

Anyone who intends to return to Thailand would want to have some cash and the cost of changing into foreign currency and later back again would be a waste. And yes, you can take cash out.

There is no restriction on the amount of Thai baht bank notes that may be brought into the country.

A person traveling to Vietnam, the People's Republic of China (only Yunnan province) and Thailand's bordering countries is allowed to take out up to THB 2,000,000. Taking out Thai Baht bank notes in an amount exceeding THB 450,000 requires declaration to a Customs Officer.

A person traveling to other countries is allowed up to THB 50,000.

[kuiburi]

It's all about controll , money laundering and taks evasion .

On schiphol airport AMS they even have money sniffer dogs , also they check people if they have any openstanding fines and if ur up todate with ur tax reports .

[Familyonthemove]

12 x 12kg bars = 4629 troy ounces, @ US$1300/ounce and THB30/dollar = THB180.5 million.

And he probably won't get a refund on his excess luggage charges.

Usually it's some tourist who claims he/she was out for a stroll at 3:00 am on Beach Road in Pattaya and had his/her bag stolen by a jet ski lady boy flashing a plastic AK47 and that the bag contained 5 mobile phones, several million in various foreign currencies as well as 12 x 12 kilo of gold.

From their appearance the bars would be one kilo each at a maximum.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/webmobile/national/South-Korean-held-over-smuggling-charges-30237622.html

So 12 gold bars were seized ..... but there's only 9 in the photo. "Commission" for the BIB?

[belg]

12 bars weighing 12 kilogram each would be 144 kg for only 16 million baht? where can I buy ?

[Garry]

I remember when I was departing an aircraft in Chiang Rai from business class, this little old lady was having trouble with her overhead compartment smallish carry-on bag. So being the nice guy, I got it down for her. Holy crap, it must have weighed an easy 20kgs. I was not expecting that weight. If I had dropped it, it probably would have put a dent in the cabin floor. It was a solid weight and not moving. I said to her, what do you have in here, 'tong'? She just smiled, thanked me and was on her way.

[FredNL]

12kg gold is about 16.5 Million THB

[ratcatcher]

12 bars weighing 12 kilogram each would be 144 kg for only 16 million baht? where can I buy ?

You're a little slow today mate. I previously posted pictures of the 1kg bar of gold, the same as the men are holding in the photo. 12 bars of gold weighing 1kg each equals 12 kilograms.

Even Oddjob would have had a little problem stuffing nearly 320 lbs into an overhead locker.

[POSA290103]

12 x 12kg bars = 4629 troy ounces, @ US$1300/ounce and THB30/dollar = THB180.5 million.

And he probably won't get a refund on his excess luggage charges.

Usually it's some tourist who claims he/she was out for a stroll at 3:00 am on Beach Road in Pattaya and had his/her bag stolen by a jet ski lady boy flashing a plastic AK47 and that the bag contained 5 mobile phones, several million in various foreign currencies as well as 12 x 12 kilo of gold.

From their appearance the bars would be one kilo each at a maximum.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/webmobile/national/South-Korean-held-over-smuggling-charges-30237622.html

So 12 gold bars were seized ..... but there's only 9 in the photo. "Commission" for the BIB?

Looks like 10 bars in the picture. 4 being held and 6 on the table. I'd check the pockets of the two guys standing in the background looking like they are fighting a ear to ear grin.

[BSJ]

Their definitely 1kg size.

[Kerryd]

Thailand, like almost every country in the world, has regulations concerning importing/exporting large amounts of cash (or other items). This isn't a new thing. It seems most allow you to take as much as you like (either way) as long as you declare it if it exceeds a certain limit.

USA - Travel to or from the United States

If you are on an international flight that is departing or arriving the US, there are no limits as to the amount of money a passenger can carry. However, passengers who are carrying currency, endorsed personal checks, travelers checks, gold coins, securities or stocks in bearer form that are valued at $10,000 or more must report the amount that they are carrying to US customs officials.

Canada - Local currency (Canadian Dollar-CAD) and foreign currencies: no restrictions up to CAD 10,000.-. Amounts equal to or greater than CAD 10,000.- must be declared.

EU - When Traveling to or from Non-EU Countries

If you are traveling from an EU country to a country outside the EU or vice versa, you must declare cash and cash equivalents to the customs service if they amount to 10,000 euros or more. This declaration must be made in writing to the responsible customs office.

UK - If you are arriving in the UK from a country outside the European Union (EU), or you're leaving the UK to travel directly to a country outside the EU, you must declare any cash of 10,000 euros or more (or its equivalent in other currencies) to customs officers.

Australia - There is no limit to the amount of currency you can bring in or take out of Australia. However, you must declare amounts of $10,000 or more in Australian currency or foreign equivalent.

China - Passengers carrying over RMB 20,000 in cash or foreign currencies with a conversion rate exceeding US $5,000 shall be processed by Customs in accordance with the current regulations.

Cambodia - Up to a max. of USD 10,000.- or equivalent is allowed. Exceeding amounts must be declared on arrival.

Laos - The import and export of local currency is prohibited. The import and export of foreign currency is unrestricted, subject to declaration of amounts more than US$2000 on arrival.

Malaysia - Non-resident Travellers is allowed to import; Ringgit Malaysia not exceeding RM10,000 each; and any amount in foreign currency and travellers’ cheque, but must be declared if the total amount exceeded USD10,000.

Individual countries have differing regulations about matters such as travelers cheques, bonds/negotiable securities, precious metals, gems and so on. It seems they all require you to declare certain amounts/items whether you are arriving or departing.

And for those who are about to say "Well I've done that many times and never declared anything" - guess what ? All you've done is gotten away with breaking the rules, like that guy a few years back whining about having to pay customs on the suitcase full of cigarettes he'd bought in Cambodia and was taking back to the UK. He was all in a huff because Thai Customs caught him at the airport and made him pay duty on the smokes he'd smuggled into Thailand (and was then going to smuggle into the UK).

He decided they were ripping him off because he'd done it many times before and never had to pay (chiefly because he hadn't been caught those many times before). Pretty much everyone slammed him because pretty much everyone knows there are limits on the amount of things like cigarettes and alcohol (and other items) that can be imported into various countries. It seems that this guy had just decided that because he'd gotten away with it before that the rules didn't apply to him.

(Side note - Thailand, like most other countries around the world - doesn't really give a crap if you (as a traveler/tourist/etc) like their rules or not. They don't care about "well back in my country the rules are different". They don't care about those who think "I shouldn't have to follow your rules because I think my country is morally superior to yours".

But for those who do think like that, feel free to do whatever you want, because I also hear that Thailand doesn't consider prison overcrowding to be a problem either.)

[Ting Tawng]

its against the law to take gold out of thailand?

Yes it is illegal to take gold bars out of Thailand. Jewelery is OK.

Details are fairly scarce on internet search, but this link cites references:

http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/2251989

[bigbamboo]

its against the law to take gold out of thailand?

It is if it's not yours.

[easybullet3]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Clearly it was 12 x 1 kg bars. Wonder what he was up to, some kind of vat scam maybe..........

Customs clearance ????? ..... This was a tip off. Authorities at the gate

notice nothing. Whoever sold him the gold probably tipped the authorities

for a cut. This story also makes no sense as he never would have made

it past security. As soon as the x -ray saw solid bars in his bag, they would

have made him open the bag. Anything out of the ordinary will prompt a

search...... Would love to know what really happened here.

What right do the Thais have to take this guy's gold?

I think that Customs Laws *stink* (just as much as certain kinds of excessive tax)

[bigbamboo]

Thailand, like almost every country in the world, has regulations concerning importing/exporting large amounts of cash (or other items). This isn't a new thing. It seems most allow you to take as much as you like (either way) as long as you declare it if it exceeds a certain limit.

USA - Travel to or from the United States

If you are on an international flight that is departing or arriving the US, there are no limits as to the amount of money a passenger can carry. However, passengers who are carrying currency, endorsed personal checks, travelers checks, gold coins, securities or stocks in bearer form that are valued at $10,000 or more must report the amount that they are carrying to US customs officials.

Canada - Local currency (Canadian Dollar-CAD) and foreign currencies: no restrictions up to CAD 10,000.-. Amounts equal to or greater than CAD 10,000.- must be declared.

EU - When Traveling to or from Non-EU Countries

If you are traveling from an EU country to a country outside the EU or vice versa, you must declare cash and cash equivalents to the customs service if they amount to 10,000 euros or more. This declaration must be made in writing to the responsible customs office.

UK - If you are arriving in the UK from a country outside the European Union (EU), or you're leaving the UK to travel directly to a country outside the EU, you must declare any cash of 10,000 euros or more (or its equivalent in other currencies) to customs officers.

Australia - There is no limit to the amount of currency you can bring in or take out of Australia. However, you must declare amounts of $10,000 or more in Australian currency or foreign equivalent.

China - Passengers carrying over RMB 20,000 in cash or foreign currencies with a conversion rate exceeding US $5,000 shall be processed by Customs in accordance with the current regulations.

Cambodia - Up to a max. of USD 10,000.- or equivalent is allowed. Exceeding amounts must be declared on arrival.

Laos - The import and export of local currency is prohibited. The import and export of foreign currency is unrestricted, subject to declaration of amounts more than US$2000 on arrival.

Malaysia - Non-resident Travellers is allowed to import; Ringgit Malaysia not exceeding RM10,000 each; and any amount in foreign currency and travellers’ cheque, but must be declared if the total amount exceeded USD10,000.

Individual countries have differing regulations about matters such as travelers cheques, bonds/negotiable securities, precious metals, gems and so on. It seems they all require you to declare certain amounts/items whether you are arriving or departing.

And for those who are about to say "Well I've done that many times and never declared anything" - guess what ? All you've done is gotten away with breaking the rules, like that guy a few years back whining about having to pay customs on the suitcase full of cigarettes he'd bought in Cambodia and was taking back to the UK. He was all in a huff because Thai Customs caught him at the airport and made him pay duty on the smokes he'd smuggled into Thailand (and was then going to smuggle into the UK).

He decided they were ripping him off because he'd done it many times before and never had to pay (chiefly because he hadn't been caught those many times before). Pretty much everyone slammed him because pretty much everyone knows there are limits on the amount of things like cigarettes and alcohol (and other items) that can be imported into various countries. It seems that this guy had just decided that because he'd gotten away with it before that the rules didn't apply to him.

(Side note - Thailand, like most other countries around the world - doesn't really give a crap if you (as a traveler/tourist/etc) like their rules or not. They don't care about "well back in my country the rules are different". They don't care about those who think "I shouldn't have to follow your rules because I think my country is morally superior to yours".

But for those who do think like that, feel free to do whatever you want, because I also hear that Thailand doesn't consider prison overcrowding to be a problem either.)

Then again if you have the equivalent of US$10000 on you that will be enough to keep you out of a Thai prison anyway.