The Paro District Court has sentenced three individuals for smuggling USD 450,000 out of Bhutan. The case surfaced when one of them was caught with the cash in Bangkok by Thai customs officials in June 2023. The other two were detained later following subsequent investigations into the case. They were found guilty of smuggling foreign currency, soliciting, and aiding and abetting. The judgment was delivered yesterday.
According to the judgment, on 23 June 2023, Karma Tashi boarded a Drukair flight from Paro International Airport to Bangkok, Thailand. Upon his arrival, Thai Revenue and Customs authorities discovered and seized the USD 450,000 that was concealed in three whiskey packaging.
Following the seizure, an investigation by the Royal Bhutan Police found that the money had allegedly been handed over to Karma Tashi by another man named Dago, at Shaba, Paro, before his departure to Bangkok.
The judgment further stated that Karma Tashi’s wife, Choki Wangmo, who worked in the catering section at Paro International Airport, assisted in concealing the cash inside the whisky boxes. The court found that she used the airport catering system to place the boxes inside the aircraft cabin before passengers boarded.
Karma Tashi was convicted of smuggling foreign currency under Section 279 of the Penal Code and sentenced to nine years in prison.
Dago was convicted of soliciting the offence of smuggling and sentenced to five years imprisonment.
Choki Wangmo was initially charged with accomplice liability, but the court altered the charge to aiding and abetting, finding that she assisted in concealing and transporting the money. She was sentenced to three years in prison.
The court valued the smuggled currency at more than Nu 36.3 M, classifying the offence as a second-degree felony.
Section 279 of the Penal Code of Bhutan, 2004 states that a person shall be guilty of smuggling if he or she secretly and unlawfully imports or exports prohibited or restricted goods.
Accordingly, the court stated that currency in excess of the prescribed limit, which is USD 10,000, falls within restricted goods under the Customs Rules and Regulations of Bhutan, 2017.
Tashi Dekar & Karma Samten Wangda
Edited by Phub Gyem
