Prayut orders crackdown on fake currency gangs after recent arrests
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has instructed relevant government agencies to step up crackdowns on criminals circulating fake banknotes after 9,000 US$100 notes were seized from two suspects in Nonthaburi.
A joint sting operation on Monday by the US Secret Service and Thailand’s Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau led to the arrest of a Thai man and woman at Muang Thong Thani and the confiscation of 9,000 fake banknotes.
PM’s deputy secretary-general Anucha Burapachaisri said officials found that many fake US banknotes had been sold to currency exchange shops and some via social media.
Thai officials then sought help from the US Secret Service and planned the sting operation together, Anucha said.
He said the fake notes were very well-made and looked a lot like the actual currency. It has been learned that they were distributed in Thailand and other neighbouring countries.
