A Thai national was arrested yesterday at a border checkpoint in Nong Khai with more than 30 million baht in cash found in his car while he was heading to Laos, authorities said.
Khan Sarnsuwan, 55, from Suphan Buri, was stopped at the checkpoint on the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge for a search.
Officials found 22 cloth bags in his Mercedes-Benz. Each was filled with 1,000-baht notes totalling over 30 million baht.
The bags were found on the floor of the car covered by carpeting. Each bag contained between 600,000 baht and 1.8 million baht.
Mr Khan was detained and charged with violating a law that prohibits the transportation of more than 450,000 baht across Thai borders without previously notifying authorities.
Nimit Saengamphai, chief of Nong Khai customs, said officials had been monitoring the vehicle for several months as they suspected it may have been involved in illicit activities because it had repeatedly crossed the checkpoint.
The search followed a tip-off that the car had brought in US currency from Laos and was about to leave the country yesterday morning.
According to Mr Nimit, the suspect said he was hired to transport most of the money but refused to give further details.
Mr Khan, who claims to own a construction business, told authorities some of the cash belonged to him and he planned to use it to buy goods and pay for a construction project.
Mr Nimit said police officers believe the cash was related to last year's confiscation of 98 million baht in Thai banknotes from a car that was trying to cross the border into Laos.
He said people who carry such large sums of cash from country to country are considered highly suspect as it would be easier and safer to do so electronically via a bank transfer.
In last year's seizure, two Lao nationals were arrested at the Nong Khai customs checkpoint.
They claimed their family owned a currency exchange business.
If the latest suspect contests the charge, a probe will be launched.
