TAIPEI: Two men from Taiwan who won USD400,000 from Macau casinos lost USD380,000 of that when they were crossing the Taiwan border to enter Taipei city.
According to a report by Apple Daily Taiwan, the two men, both in their 20s, took a flight from Macau to Taipei last Saturday.
The Taipei customs authority found USD400,000 in cash in their possession, at which point the two men were questioned about the money’s source. The duo admitted that the money had been given to them by someone they met in Macau’s casinos
However they reportedly did not know the identity of the person who gave them the money. Then, the Taipei customs authority questioned the two men about whether they had been paid to carry the money out of Macau, but they refused to answer.
In accordance with Taiwan’s anti-money laundering policy, USD 380,000 was subsequently seized by customs.
According to the Taipei customs authority, this case involves the largest amount of cash ever carried to Taiwan.
Taiwan customs are reminding the public to be careful with how much cash they take to Taiwan. An individual is only allowed, at most, to bring NT100,000, RMB20,000, and USD10,000 in cash to Taiwan.
Any amount above the limit must be declared to Taiwan customs, otherwise the Customs authority will seize the surplus.
