Navy marines arrested in Cambodia with fake dollar notes valued at $7.5 million

[DEQ]

Link to ABC news story:

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/cambodian-police-bust-thais-7m-fake-bills-25620143

[NongKhaiKid]

They were arrested in Cambodiq but Thailand wants them back for ' further action ' here .

Lots of room to specuate why.

Surely a Cambodian trial and if convicted Cambodian jail time before any deal on them serving the balance of their sentence in Thailand.

Someone wants their fake dollars back!

Do the Cambodians treat the 3 couriers as ' non-returnable ' ?

[ToddinChonburi]

7.6 million in US currency, how big was the bag they were carrying ? they are working for someone on the side.

Bad Bad Navy Boy's !!!!!

[Paulzed]

Police noticed a suspicious boat moving across the Mekong River towards Thailand at around 4am.

What does a suspicious boat travelling across the river look like?

Funnels of bong smoke pouring out the back, Bob Marley cranked up full blast, little Laotians with rastafa hair do's,tea cozies on their heads and blood shot eyes swinging off the boat???

[Pakaty]

Police noticed a suspicious boat moving across the Mekong River towards Thailand at around 4am.

What does a suspicious boat travelling across the river look like?

Funnels of bong smoke pouring out the back, Bob Marley cranked up full blast, little Laotians with rastafa hair do's,tea cozies on their heads and blood shot eyes swinging off the boat???

And lighting their spliffs with fake US notes

The stories have to tie together somehow.

[MediaWatcher]

Bugger sending them back, a slap on the wrist and little else...they broke the law in Cambodia, so they should stand trial there, if guilty, jailed there.

[ClutchClark]

Bugger sending them back, a slap on the wrist and little else...they broke the law in Cambodia, so they should stand trial there, if guilty, jailed there.

Thats not the way it works for military members of most Western countries. The military brings them home for Court-Martial and to serve any sentence.

[ClutchClark]

I'd say hand them over to Uncle Sam, since it was US money they were using !!

They will know what to do with clowns like that ...

Yeah, waste our tax dollars--real dollars--on housing and feeding them.

We don't want 'em. We just want the information they have on who supplied it to them.

[ClutchClark]

I guarantee these three marines will meet some horrible 'accident' before they can give up the lists of people at the top who were most likely involved.

If youre wrong will you promise to stop posting such ridiculous nonsnese?

[Seastallion]

Bugger sending them back, a slap on the wrist and little else...they broke the law in Cambodia, so they should stand trial there, if guilty, jailed there.

Thats not the way it works for military members of most Western countries. The military brings them home for Court-Martial and to serve any sentence.

Nonsense. Unless they committed the crime while on duty or while in uniform, whereupon the military may try to intercede diplomatically. But generally, a crime is tried in the jurisdiction in which it was committed.

[ClutchClark]

Counterfeiting is an attack on a country. Counterfeiting has invoked airstrikes.

The article blithely comments that the Thai authorities want the criminals back and will not protect them.

Then, they even mixed up drug interdiction stories to try and dilute the napalm! But napalm is not water soluble. In military parlance, this is FUBAR.

The US will take this much more seriously than human trafficking, and even now those smart nasty people who are an important part of every government are discussing options over the morning briefs. I am certain that "terminate with extreme prejudice" will be a fielded suggestion. This will invoke a severe and harsh response, and the response will not be public.

Idiots. You opened a can of worms that was filled with baby vipers. Mark my words, a very dangerous line has been crossed, and there is no face -saving exit for the Thai Navy on this one.

The Thai Navy is in dire need of a good house cleaning. Since it is obvious they can't handle the bleach and Windex, I am certain someone else will.

!!

What? Dangerous lines crossed? Vipers? Nasty people "terminate with what prejudice"?

Are you confusing this for a Clive Cussler novel?

[tomyummer]

I'd say hand them over to Uncle Sam, since it was US money they were using !!

They will know what to do with clowns like that ...

Yeah, waste our tax dollars--real dollars--on housing and feeding them.

We don't want 'em. We just want the information they have on who supplied it to them.

CIA using the Thai Navy as mules. Is that it?

[lostinisaan]

They were arrested in Cambodiq but Thailand wants them back for ' further action ' here .

Lots of room to specuate why.

Surely a Cambodian trial and if convicted Cambodian jail time before any deal on them serving the balance of their sentence in Thailand.

Someone wants their fake dollars back!

Guess somebody must have paid real bucks for it.

[Nemesis7]

Silly? Details of a Thai woman with meth Tablets were given along with details of Marijuana drugs, but nothing about the main story of the 7.5 Million fake USD.....7.5 Mil is a Huge amount be it fake or real....isnt it?

Cant wait to see how now they will blame some Cambodian behind all these...

[MediaWatcher]

ClutchClark, on 21 Sept 2014 - 17:32, said:

MediaWatcher, on 21 Sept 2014 - 17:16, said:

Bugger sending them back, a slap on the wrist and little else...they broke the law in Cambodia, so they should stand trial there, if guilty, jailed there.

Thats not the way it works for military members of most Western countries. The military brings them home for Court-Martial and to serve any sentence.

Rubbish.

[ClutchClark]

ClutchClark, on 21 Sept 2014 - 17:32, said:

MediaWatcher, on 21 Sept 2014 - 17:16, said:

Bugger sending them back, a slap on the wrist and little else...they broke the law in Cambodia, so they should stand trial there, if guilty, jailed there.

Thats not the way it works for military members of most Western countries. The military brings them home for Court-Martial and to serve any sentence.

Rubbish.

Well thats the way it works for Canadian and US service members who commit crimes abroad.

Would any intelligent and knowledgable Europeans or Australians care to chime in.

[sapson]

According to a Cambodian news source, the men were followed from the border crossing after a tip-off. One of the men is stated to be a Thai border guard captain, no information on the other two, no mention of navy marines. It was said they hoped to pass off the fake $100 bills to naive country folk in rural Cambodia. Also stated this was the biggest ever counterfeiting bust in Cambodia. It said the expected prison term is 5 to 10 years.

Edit - sorry USA news source, not Cambodian. Am I allowed to say ABC?

It would probably take as long as the proposed 5 year prison term to somehow launder pass off $7.5 million dollars amongst naïve country folk between three of them.!

[metisdead]

Grammar police posts have been removed.

Flame posts have been removed.

Nonsense posts have been removed.

[55Jay]

ClutchClark, on 21 Sept 2014 - 18:39, said:ClutchClark, on 21 Sept 2014 - 18:39, said:

MediaWatcher, on 21 Sept 2014 - 18:27, said:MediaWatcher, on 21 Sept 2014 - 18:27, said:

ClutchClark, on 21 Sept 2014 - 17:32, said:ClutchClark, on 21 Sept 2014 - 17:32, said:

ClutchClark, on 21 Sept 2014 - 17:32, said:

Thats not the way it works for military members of most Western countries. The military brings them home for Court-Martial and to serve any sentence.

Rubbish.

Well thats the way it works for Canadian and US service members who commit crimes abroad.

Would any intelligent and knowledgable Europeans or Australians care to chime in.

Seriously dude, do you really expect the US military to step in, if you commit a crime, on foreign soil, when NOT on military duty. If on military duty, but out of uniform, they could be charged as spies.

FWIW, he's partially right for the US military. Most countries will hand over the military offender unless it's a particularly heinous, political or culturally sensitive crime.

[Frank James]

This kind of amount is huge, would be interesting to find out exactly where they got them and who actually printed them?

The new versions of larger denomination US notes are much more difficult to counterfeit. Lots of color variation, imbedded plastic strips, watermarks, etc. I'm sure the US Treasury Dept will be very interested in seeing these notes. Having a Thai government entity (Navy) involved in passing these fakes makes it a VERY interesting case. I'm sure this story will be buried rather quickly, Perhaps the passers will be transferred to an "inactive post."

[ClutchClark]

This kind of amount is huge, would be interesting to find out exactly where they got them and who actually printed them?

The new versions of larger denomination US notes are much more difficult to counterfeit. Lots of color variation, imbedded plastic strips, watermarks, etc. I'm sure the US Treasury Dept will be very interested in seeing these notes. Having a Thai government entity (Navy) involved in passing these fakes makes it a VERY interesting case. I'm sure this story will be buried rather quickly, Perhaps the passers will be transferred to an "inactive post."

It was not a Thai Govt entity, it was an individual that was a service member.

When a US soldier rapes a girl while stationed in japan or Germany, it is not on the authority of the US military.

You are making large generalizations.

[wwest5829]

If they are guilty I hope they get punished in Cambodia and they receive the same punishment a Cambodian would get for such a crime.

I don't see the relation with Thailand. If I use fake dollars in the US, they don't send me to Mexico, right? I think the request made to Cambodia is highly unreasonable.

No, but if you try to use fake Pesos in the US, they will. After they get up off the floor from laughing at someone trying to use pesos in the US that is!! :-) AND after the 20 years you get for counterfeiting in the US, does not matter what currency you were trying to pass.

If you reverse that, and try to use fake USD in Mexico the US authorities will take note, and possibly have you extradited. It depends on the extradition treaty arangements the US has with Thailand if this will apply here. These guys will DEFINITELY be getting a visit from the US Secret Service, who will also try and track down the big boys of the operation.

They are very serious about maintaining the integrity of the USD money supply. And every country that uses the USD or is in some way affected by the US economy (ie everyone), has a vested interest in that stability too, so cooperation is not a problem.

My take on this, thus far, is that the crime cited was having fake United States Dollars. Thus that offense is against the United States and the culprits should be extradited to stand trial in the U.S. Now, if the link is made that the fake money was involved in drug purchasing or payment, then a further offense is against Cambodia's drug laws. The status of the Thais involved, it appears to me, is way down the list of offenses.

I hope that the U.S. will request extradition to stand trial on the bogus money involvement. If Cambodia demands standing trial on drug charges, that should take precedence, and after serving their time for this offense in Cambodia, then they should be extradited to the U.S. I would think any Thai involvement due to their being Thai military personnel, if they are guilty of offenses in a court of law, would come third on the list of offenses.

Well, let's see how this plays out.

[mumjokmok]

they created 7.5 million bucks without borrowing 40 cents of each dollar from the Fed..... naughty boys....

[MediaWatcher]

wwest5829, on 21 Sept 2014 - 20:43, said:

Thaimaishoe, on 21 Sept 2014 - 11:36, said:

kriswillems, on 21 Sept 2014 - 08:58, said:

If they are guilty I hope they get punished in Cambodia and they receive the same punishment a Cambodian would get for such a crime.

I don't see the relation with Thailand. If I use fake dollars in the US, they don't send me to Mexico, right? I think the request made to Cambodia is highly unreasonable.

No, but if you try to use fake Pesos in the US, they will. After they get up off the floor from laughing at someone trying to use pesos in the US that is!! :-) AND after the 20 years you get for counterfeiting in the US, does not matter what currency you were trying to pass.

If you reverse that, and try to use fake USD in Mexico the US authorities will take note, and possibly have you extradited. It depends on the extradition treaty arangements the US has with Thailand if this will apply here. These guys will DEFINITELY be getting a visit from the US Secret Service, who will also try and track down the big boys of the operation.

They are very serious about maintaining the integrity of the USD money supply. And every country that uses the USD or is in some way affected by the US economy (ie everyone), has a vested interest in that stability too, so cooperation is not a problem.

My take on this, thus far, is that the crime cited was having fake United States Dollars. Thus that offense is against the United States and the culprits should be extradited to stand trial in the U.S. Now, if the link is made that the fake money was involved in drug purchasing or payment, then a further offense is against Cambodia's drug laws. The status of the Thais involved, it appears to me, is way down the list of offenses.

I hope that the U.S. will request extradition to stand trial on the bogus money involvement. If Cambodia demands standing trial on drug charges, that should take precedence, and after serving their time for this offense in Cambodia, then they should be extradited to the U.S. I would think any Thai involvement due to their being Thai military personnel, if they are guilty of offenses in a court of law, would come third on the list of offenses.

Well, let's see how this plays out.

Although it is fake US notes, this does not give the US jurisdiction, though the US may like global jurisdiction.

[Loles]

"We won't protect them. But we will ask if the Cambodian authorities will send them back to Thailand to face further action here,"

[surangw]

I wonder how much of the "evidence" will be accounted for in the end?

[heybruce]

Link to ABC news story:

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/cambodian-police-bust-thais-7m-fake-bills-25620143

Thank you. It doesn't mention navy or marines, but does describe one of the men as "a 53-year-old captain who served as a Thai border guard." It also seems like the counterfeits were poor quality, perhaps meant to be passed off in poor areas where people aren't too familiar with the appearance of US currency (I know, it's the main currency in the cities and tourist areas). The story does give the sense that counterfeiting US dollars in Thailand and passing them in Cambodia is not unusual.

[heybruce]

Bugger sending them back, a slap on the wrist and little else...they broke the law in Cambodia, so they should stand trial there, if guilty, jailed there.

Thats not the way it works for military members of most Western countries. The military brings them home for Court-Martial and to serve any sentence.

There are some differences between the way the military in Thailand and Cambodia work and the way the military in western countries work.

[Tywais]

$7.6m is a pretty hefty amount to be transporting.

That would be 76kG (167 pounds) if in 100 pound notes.

[Docno]

Bugger sending them back, a slap on the wrist and little else...they broke the law in Cambodia, so they should stand trial there, if guilty, jailed there.

Thats not the way it works for military members of most Western countries. The military brings them home for Court-Martial and to serve any sentence.

I would suspect that depends on any specific treaties/agreements the two nations have with each other. This, for example, is what holds for US servicemen stationed in Okinawa ... a specific agreement between Japan and the US that US servicemen will be tried under US military law under specific conditions. I don't believe that even in western countries, local authorities will simply release foreign military personnel suspected of criminal activity back to their home military for trial/punishment. That said, I do know that 'deals' can sometimes be struck in the name of maintaining good bilateral relations, especially if the offender comes from a particularly 'influential' nation such as the US.