Customs warns of sting to seize smuggled iPhones at Bangkok's MBK

[webfact]

Customs warns of sting to seize smuggled iPhones at MBK
By Coconuts Bangkok



BANGKOK: -- Customs officials announced yesterday they will take a secret trip to MBK Center and randomly arrest merchants selling illegally imported, and highly demanded, iPhone 6 smartphones.

Customs said it has a strict policy to crack down on smuggled iPhones, although there’s a frenzy to obtain them after Thailand was made to wait months for the newst Apple product’s arrival.

If iPhone 6 sellers cannot present a license from the NBTC when requested, they will be prosecuted and have their iPhones confiscated, according to Deputy Director-General Yutthana Yimkarun.

Full story: http://bangkok.coconuts.co//2014/09/25/customs-warns-sting-seize-smuggled-iphones-mbk


-- Coconuts Bangkok 2014-09-25

[BigBadGeordie]

Pleased they kept that secret, would not want to warn the "villians" in advance.

[clockman]

Nice to tell everybody! but you have to warn your friends.

[borisloosebrain]

The phones will be confiscated. Lol and given to whom ? That's one way for those bastions of integrity at Customs to get their hands on a new iphone 6.

[Cuchulainn]

This is not a rhetorical question or one for fun or sarcasm. WHY did they announce it? I mean, really? I'm not joking.

[Alwyn]

A fairly secret raid by the fairly secret Customs.. They learned all they know from..

[Baerboxer]

This is not a rhetorical question or one for fun or sarcasm. WHY did they announce it? I mean, really? I'm not joking.

Only fair. They see their role as crime prevention which they take very seriously of course. They think everybody will be too scared to do this now as you never know who is a plain clothes undercover customs officer.

Sneaky or what.

[UKCanuk]

The ministry of silly walks comes to mind. I can see the lure of bringing them in though. A friend in Hong Kong tells me that an iPhone 6 brought in from overseas has a street price of 3x the £699.00 UK price.

[Cuchulainn]

Never heard "Customs" and "crime prevention" in the same sentence. "Customs" and "crime", yes but definitely but "Customs" and "crime prevention" never!!

[kamahele]

Someone should tell them it is not called a "sting" if you tell them about it first.

[masuk]

The ministry of silly walks comes to mind. I can see the lure of bringing them in though. A friend in Hong Kong tells me that an iPhone 6 brought in from overseas has a street price of 3x the £699.00 UK price.

What's the betting they're look-alikes?

Mate of mine, newly arrived in Thailand, bought a new Samsung in BKK. The calculator was playing up, so took it to the Samsung guys here in Chiang Mai.

Guess what? He'd bought a fake.

[kwak250]

When are they available in thailand as I have got one coming end of this month whrn my sister visits if there worth bringing another one how much would it go for ?dont think 3x the amount ?

[klauskunkel]

Wife of a high-ranking customs official: "Teerak, I have to have an i-phone 6 now, before our neighbor can get it, do something. I mean it...!"

Husband: "Not to worry, I have a plan..."

[rickirs]

"... randomly arrest merchants selling illegally imported, and highly demanded, iPhone 6 smartphones."

Randomly? Does this mean some guilty merchants will not be arrested based on some random event?

The author probably meant that merchants will be randomly checked for iPhone 6 licenses. But even then, why not check with all of them? Half-baked law enforcement only results in half-baked arrests.

[lvr181]

Customs have gotta be kidding, uh?

Or this some sort of media stunt?

Or, maybe, just gross incompetence? The mind boggles! C'est la vie in Thailand.

[thairastawoman]

So people are still stupid to buy an overpriced ridiculous iphone ? People just deserve what happens to them...

[lvr181]

The ministry of silly walks comes to mind. I can see the lure of bringing them in though. A friend in Hong Kong tells me that an iPhone 6 brought in from overseas has a street price of 3x the £699.00 UK price.

What's the betting they're look-alikes?

Mate of mine, newly arrived in Thailand, bought a new Samsung in BKK. The calculator was playing up, so took it to the Samsung guys here in Chiang Mai.

Guess what? He'd bought a fake.

He could have done worse. Might have bought an overpriced underwhelming iPhone 6!

Edit: Grammar

[emilymat]

The ministry of silly walks comes to mind. I can see the lure of bringing them in though. A friend in Hong Kong tells me that an iPhone 6 brought in from overseas has a street price of 3x the £699.00 UK price.

Blimey.....my phone cost 999 baht 5 years ago and still working. Drag me out of the stone age. Maybe not, at those prices.

[Nemesis7]

Damn the price will go up now..

[Anon999]

The ones in the photo are UK models.

[Baerboxer]

Never heard "Customs" and "crime prevention" in the same sentence. "Customs" and "crime", yes but definitely but "Customs" and "crime prevention" never!!

Think about it - a clue for you JOKE!!

Given the Thai propensity, and that would be all government agencies, police, customs and every body else, of issuing warnings before they do anything.

BTW - HMRC have a duty to prevent smuggling i.e catch the perps and maybe that will warn a few off. I think most Customs work on that theory, the more you catch the less will try. How effective that is in practice of course is a different story.

Bit like Chalerm saying he would don a disguise to arrest Suthep. No one takes them seriously but in the mind they somehow think a few might be scared off.

[khonlanna]

The ministry of silly walks comes to mind. I can see the lure of bringing them in though. A friend in Hong Kong tells me that an iPhone 6 brought in from overseas has a street price of 3x the £699.00 UK price.

Blimey.....my phone cost 999 baht 5 years ago and still working. Drag me out of the stone age. Maybe not, at those prices.

　I don't need a cell phone. That's why I bought an iPhone.

Well, I use a palm computer often when I'm out, and I make phone calls when I'm out just because I can make a phone call using an iPhone.

[lvr181]

The ministry of silly walks comes to mind. I can see the lure of bringing them in though. A friend in Hong Kong tells me that an iPhone 6 brought in from overseas has a street price of 3x the £699.00 UK price.

Blimey.....my phone cost 999 baht 5 years ago and still working. Drag me out of the stone age. Maybe not, at those prices.

　I don't need a cell phone. That's why I bought an iPhone.

Well, I use a palm computer often when I'm out, and I make phone calls when I'm out just because I can make a phone call using an iPhone.

Mmmm...........sounds like twisted logic! When you can buy a VERY cheap android phone to make a phone call.

[merijn]

The ones in the photo are UK models.

Or from Hong Kong as they have the same power plug.

[theoldgit]

The ones in the photo are UK models.

How do you know?

As was said above they could be from Hong Kong, or even Singapore.