7 photos show the massive hoards of cash, Bentleys, luxury watches, and BE@RBRICK collectibles suspected money-launderers and forgers squirreled away in Singapore
Matthew Loh
- Singapore said on Wednesday that it arrested 10 people suspected of money-laundering.
- Its raids on more than 90 properties found hundreds of bags, watches, and pieces of jewelry.
Singapore on Tuesday arrested 10 people suspected of money-laundering or forgery, seizing more than $700 million worth of assets from their houses.
Another eight people are still wanted by officials, the Singapore Police Force wrote in a statement on Wednesday evening.
Local authorities sent more than 400 officers to raid 94 bungalows and condominium apartments in the city-state.
There, they found vast collections of jewelry, luxury bags, watches, cars, wine, and even expensive BE@RBRICK models.
Officers found around $16.9 million stashed in suitcases, vaults, and cupboards.
These stacks of banknotes were found in denominations of 50, 100, and 1,000 Singapore dollars. One Singapore dollar is worth around $0.73.
In one case, a Chinese man and woman who were arrested in the city's glitzy Pearl Island bungalow enclave had $5.6 million in cash tucked away in nine properties, the Singapore Police Force said.
Police also seized some 250 luxury bags and watches, and 270 pieces of jewelry.
Another of those arrested, a 35-year-old man with a passport from the Melanesian island of Vanuatu, was found with 69 luxury bags and watches in his house.
Officers also found entire garages filled with MPVs and luxury sedans from brands like Rolls Royce and Bentley.
In all, the police carried out prohibition orders on at least 50 vehicles, officials said.
At least two men who were arrested maintained extensive collections of wines and alcohol.
Among the assets seized was a massive BE@RBRICK collection.
Some larger BE@RBRICK models sell for as high as $22,000 each in Singapore. This collection appears to be filled with the largest models.
Those arrested face charges of money laundering or forgery for the purpose of cheating, the local police said.
They had passports from Cambodia, Vanuatu, Cambodia, the Dominican Republic, China, Cyprus, and Turkey.
If found guilty, they face up to 10 years in prison for each charge, and fines of up to $367,000 each.
Authorities also seized a collective $80 million in 35 bank accounts, the Singapore Police Force added.
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