Two Israeli Settlers Arrested in Thailand for Counterfeit Dollar Charges; Four Others Detained for Drug Possession

Bangkok (QNN)- Two young Israeli settlers were arrested in Thailand on Saturday for counterfeiting foreign currency and intending to distribute it. Additionally, four others were detained for drug possession after testing positive for cocaine.

According to Israel’s Channel 14, the two Israeli settlers were arrested on the island of Koh Samui in Thailand on suspicion of counterfeiting foreign government banknotes and possessing them with the intent to distribute.

According to arrest warrants issued by the Koh Samui Provincial Court, the two, in their 20s, are accused of counterfeiting foreign government banknotes and possessing them for the purpose of circulation, after exchanging 750 counterfeit U.S. dollars for 21,840 baht (the local currency).

According to the police, on October 6, the settlers visited the currency exchange booth of the Government Savings Bank at Koh Samui Airport.

Matan exchanged five counterfeit $50 bills (a total of $250) for 7,280 baht, while Omer exchanged ten counterfeit $50 bills ($500) for 14,560 baht. The counterfeit bills passed through the booth’s verification machine without triggering any counterfeit alert.

The fraud was only discovered three days later, on October 9, when the manager of the Government Savings Bank branch in Central Samui reported it to the police.

The police used security camera footage, exchange records, and immigration data to locate and arrest the two Israeli settlers.
The undercover arrests come just a few days after a similar incident on the nearby island of Koh Phangan. On October 7, the tourist police arrested a 49-year-old Israeli woman who exchanged a counterfeit $100 bill for 3,140 baht at a currency exchange booth in Ban Chaloklum, before attempting to flee. She was located using the biometric system and arrested at her residence – where she admitted to knowingly bringing counterfeit bills from New York to use in Thailand.

On October 14, four Israeli settlers were arrested in possession of drugs at a luxury villa on the Thai island of Koh Phangan, according to reports. The group tested positive for cocaine and methamphetamines at Koh Phangan Hospital.

Local activists have reportedly warned that the island is becoming a “second Tel Aviv, saying settlers