Lao men caught smuggling B26m to Savannakhet

Lao men caught smuggling B26m to Savannakhet

Customs officials check the boxes filled with B26m in banknotes seized at the Mukdahan border checkpoint on May 26, 2015. (Bangkok Post photo)
Customs officials check the boxes filled with B26m in banknotes seized at the Mukdahan border checkpoint on May 26, 2015. (Bangkok Post photo)

Customs officers arrested two Lao men trying to smuggle 26 million baht in 1,000-baht notes across the border from Mukdahan to Savannakhet in Laos on Tuesday afternoon.

Mukdahan customs chief Soraj Sangkhawan told a Wednesday press conference the arrests were made after his office was informed some people had exchanged a large amount of US dollars for Thai baht  at Krungthai and other banks in Mukdahan.

The informer said it was suspected the money would be smuggled across the Mekong River to  Savannakhet, in Laos.

Customs officials, local police and military units at Mukdahan Friendship Bridge, which links with Suvannhaket, were informed and put on alert.

About 6.15pm a black Mitsubishi Strada pick-up truck registered in Savannakhet was stopped and searched while passing through the immigration and customs checkpoints.

Officials found three cardboard boxes in the vehicle containing 26 bundles of 1,000-baht notes, each worth one million baht.

The two Lao men in the vehicle - Banluesak Siphakdi and Sithisay Chantho, both about 30 - were detained by customs officers for questioning.  

They admitted  they had exchanged US dollars for Thai baht at Krungthai and several other banks in Mukdahan, for a total of 26 million baht, and said it for a money-exchange business in Savannakhet. They said 10 million baht was purchased by Mr Banluesak and the other 16 million baht by Mr Sithisay.

They were initially charged with trying to take Thai currency out of the country in excess of the legal limit  of 500,000 baht at a time, a violation of the Customs Act and the Money Exchange Control Act.

The Mukdahan customs chief said the money had been seized for further investigation, to determine if it had been acquired through legal or illegal activities.

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