Delivery driver finds huge stash of Thai, Laos and Japanese banknotes under a tree

A delivery driver stumbled across a stash of Thai, Japanese, and Laos banknotes scattered beneath a tree in Udon Thani city centre, northeast Thailand, this morning. The cash – amounting to over 500,000 baht – is suspected to be fake.

The driver, 43 year old Somsak Sirikhan, was sitting waiting for a job with five or six other rides. He said he backed out on his motorbike to go and buy a coffee when he spotted the cash, scattered underneath a mahogany tree near Ban Mak Kaeng School on Sri Suk Road.

Somsak said he was really shocked so called his friends to look. He immediately called the police.

The delivery driver said he couldn’t tell if the money was real. It looked real but it was mostly 100 baht banknotes mixed with Laos kip and Japanese yen, so the driver was unsure.

Officers from Mueang Udon Thani Police Station inspected the cash, which would amount to over 500,000 baht if it was real.

Police confirmed that all the 100 baht and 1,000 baht banknotes were fake. The police suspect that the Laos kip and Japanese yen are also fake.

Police said they are checking CCTV footage to expedite their search for whoever dumped the fake cash under the tree. Forensic scientists will examine the confiscated cash for fingerprints.

Last month, police warned the public against counterfeit 1,000 baht banknotes in circulation, also in Udon Thani province.

In May, Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha asked the public to be on the lookout for counterfeit 1,000 baht notes. First, notice that the notes have a different texture from regular notes. Second, inspect the hidden watermark. A true note will reveal a portrait of HM the King when held up to the light.

PM Prayut asked anyone who finds counterfeit notes to hand them into any commercial bank.