Phuket: Police seized two boxes of "fish jerky and potato chips" containing 23 million baht in cash. Mae Sai Customs seized 23 million baht in cash hidden in boxes of fish snacks and potato chips, intended for smuggling across the border into Myanmar.
According to Thai News Agency, customs officials at Mae Sai border checkpoint seized Thai banknotes totaling over 23 million baht after discovering them smuggled inside boxes of food products, including fish snacks and potato chips. These boxes were found in a vehicle with Myanmar license plates that was about to leave the country through Mae Sai Border Crossing No. 1. The Myanmar driver was arrested and will be prosecuted according to the law.
Mr. Waris Visarathanon, the Mae Sai Customs Chief, has instructed the investigation and suppression division, along with the customs control and inspection division, to intensify inspections against the smuggling of illegal goods and items into and out of the country.
The incident occurred at 6:10 PM on June 23, 2026. Authorities conducted a joint search of a passenger vehicle, with a maximum capacity of seven people, bearing Myanmar license plates at the outbound lane of Mae Sai Border Crossing No. 1. This was approximately 10 meters from the customs clearance point and 20 meters from the Thai-Myanmar border. The driver, a 31-year-old Myanmar national, had already completed exit visa checks.
During the search, two cardboard boxes containing food products were discovered. Inside, Thai 1,000-baht banknotes were hidden. The first box contained 17 bundles of cash, each worth 1 million baht, totaling 17,000,000 baht. The second box contained 6 bundles of cash, each worth 1 million baht, along with 23 additional banknotes, totaling 6,023,000 baht. The total value of the seized items was 23,023,000 baht.
The investigation revealed that the suspect had not obtained permission from the currency exchange control officer nor declared the export of Thai baht to customs officials. Consequently, the authorities confiscated the items and arrested the suspect for legal proceedings.
Initially, the suspect was charged with attempting to smuggle Thai currency out of the Kingdom without going through customs procedures, an offense under the Customs Act B.E. 2560 (2017), Section 242 in conjunction with Section 252 and Section 80 of the Criminal Code, as well as an offense under the Foreign Exchange Control Act B.E. 2485 (1942), Sections 8 and 8 bis. The suspect and the seized items were then taken into custody for further legal proceedings.