Customs officers at the Mae Sai checkpoint caught a Myanmar man attempting to smuggle over 3.5 million baht in cash across the border, claiming his sister asked him to buy construction materials.
On 28 Oct 2026 GMT+7 in Chiang Rai, reporters learned that on 27 Oct 2026 GMT+7 at the first bridge border crossing in Mae Sai District, Chiang Rai Province, Mae Sai Customs, Region 3 Customs, Tak Command Task Force soldiers, and Chiang Rai Immigration arrested Mr. AI ONG, 21, a Myanmar national. He was riding a red and white HONDA WAVE 125 I motorcycle with Myanmar plates, crossing from Tachileik into Mae Sai border checkpoint, acting suspiciously.
Officers searched and found a red plastic bag containing 3,100 banknotes of 1,000 baht hidden under the motorcycle seat and in a white shoulder bag he carried. Inside were 460 notes of 1,000 baht, 7 notes of 500 baht, 61 notes of 100 baht, and 132 notes of 20 baht, totaling 3,572,240 baht.
In preliminary questioning, Mr. AI ONG stated that his sister entrusted him with all the money to buy building materials for a house. Customs seized the cash as evidence and handed him over to Police Lieutenant Watjra Muangkaew, deputy investigator at Mae Sai Police Station, to proceed with charges under the Customs Act B.E. 2560 and the Exchange Control Act B.E. 2485, along with relevant Ministry of Finance announcements, for prosecution in Chiang Rai court.