Bangkok, July 1 (DPA) Thai police discovered about 10 million baht ($290,000) in cash hidden in the doors of a car belonging to an alleged drug trafficker which had been impounded and driven by officers for the past two years, media reports said Wednesday.
Department of Special Investigation chief Thawee Sodsong told a press conference Tuesday that police in Udon Thani province had recently found 9,998,000 baht packed inside the back doors of a Toyota Fortuner that had been seized in a raid on a suspected drug dealer’s house in Bangkok back in 2005.
The car belonged to Usman Salamaeng who faces charges of drug trafficking and money laundering. Usman, who holds Thai and Malaysian passports, is said to be living in Malaysia.
Usman’s well-padded vehicle was used by police in Udon Thani, 400 km north-east of Bangkok, for two years before they chanced upon the wads of cash.
“Police inquiries have found that Usman had hidden the money, believed to be acquired though drug trafficking, in the vehicle,” Thawee told the Bangkok Post newspaper.
