PHUKET — A Russian woman was arrested by Kamala police in Phuket for using counterfeit U.S. dollars. She claimed she was unaware the bills were counterfeit, stating her father provided them for her trip.
Police officers from Kamala Police Station in Phuket arrested Ms. Yevgeniya, a 22-year-old Russian national, along with three of her compatriots at a pool villa in Moo 5, Kamala Subdistrict, Kathu District, on the evening of July 27. They seized 32 counterfeit $50 bills as evidence.
All four were brought to Kamala Police Station for further questioning. Ms. Yevgeniya claimed she didn’t know the bills were fake, stating that her father had given her 60 of these bills for her trip to Phuket with friends.
On July 23, she exchanged four $50 bills at a currency exchange counter in front of Big C Kamala, receiving 5,348 baht. She said the exchange went normally, so she didn’t suspect the bills were counterfeit.
Investigation revealed that the suspect and her friends traveled from Moscow, Russia, transiting in Shanghai before flying directly to Phuket on July 22. They checked into the pool villa, and on July 23, exchanged the four $50 bills.
The Russian woman’s statement matched the report from the Thai employee at the currency exchange counter, who had photographed her passport. Out of the four $50 bills exchanged, three were found to be counterfeit.
Police investigators later located the Russian woman’s accommodation, invited the suspects for questioning, and found an additional 32 counterfeit bills mixed with genuine dollar bills, out of a total of 75 bills. If all 35 counterfeit bills had been exchanged, the potential damage would have been about 62,800 baht.
Police are currently investigating whether this is connected to an international criminal organization counterfeiting U.S. dollar bills, which has been prevalent in tourist cities.
Initially, the Russian woman has been charged with bringing counterfeit currency into the kingdom, possessing counterfeit currency with intent to distribute knowing it’s fake, and bringing goods through customs into the kingdom by evading prohibitions.
