2 Japanese carrying $134 bil worth of U.S. bonds detained in Italy

Japan Today ^ | Thursday 11th June, 06:18 AM JST | JapanToday

[Xenophon450]

ROME —

Two Japanese nationals were detained by Italian financial police last week after trying to enter Switzerland with $134 billion worth of undeclared U.S. bonds, mostly Treasury bonds, an Italian daily said Wednesday. The Japanese consulate general in Milan confirmed that the detention had taken place and said it was trying to confirm with Italian authorities whether the two were indeed Japanese nationals and their identities.

According to the report in il Giornale, two unidentified Japanese in their 50s concealed the bonds, including 249 U.S. Treasury bonds each worth $500 million, in a suitcase with a false bottom that was searched by the Italian authorities June 3 when they were in Chiasso, at the border with Switzerland, about 50 kilometers north of Milan. The daily did not say on what charges they have been detained, but the two may have been detained on suspicion of attempting to take a large amount of securities out of Italy without declaring it because the paper said they had not declared the bonds.

[madinmadtown]

I found your post extremely interesting. I have had a personal intrigue with counterfeit $100.00 since our bank gave us one that we tried to cash in a Russian bank. I don't recommend that experience to anyone.

[hiredhand]

Lotto winners ?

There you go again! Don't you for get about the Hebrew Nationals and Sam Adams! :-)

[hiredhand]

Why absolutely! They should get with the current program and spread the wealth!

[investigateworld]

In my previous occupation, I only saw bearer bonds once. Those were the Treaty of Versailles bonds issued by Germany to pay damages from WW1.

These particular bonds were pinched out of the Reichbank, Berlin, May 9th, 1945.

They were being peddled in the early 90's to pay operational expenses for KGB/GRU. Fun case!!

[hiredhand]

I did read that it was a bit odd that these were bearer bonds. That would date them back to ...what?... sometime in the late 1970s perhaps? The amount of money involved here is mind boggling. If those two manage to lose that money, or even a significant portion, their lives won't be worth bug spit when they're released because I'm willing to best that they're NOT the owners. But owners of $213B should certainly have enough power to take out their displeasure on these two!

...as always though...the info-warfare technician in me is "sticking out". What if this was supposed to happen? What if it was intended that these two be caught? What's to gain by having $213B in U.S. treasury bearer bonds intercepted? I know that's a backwards way of thinking of it, but it must be asked...even though I certainly can't fathom an answer at this point.

[investigateworld]

They have to be counterfeit?

I can't even think for a second, anyone putting that kind of moola at risk.

And I can't even think of the Italian Policia finding a false bottom suitcase - unless they have someone wired in.

The only thing I can think of is someone trying to disrupt the US .gov bond market.

I've heard there is a strong link between the Japanese Mafia/Organized crime and the Noroks with their penchant for forgeries.

Whole bunch of head scratching going on here.

[RckyRaCoCo]

bookmark

[Squantos]

Well these guys were Jap’s !

Gonna have to be sushi kosher I suppose........:o)

[Steel Wolf]

I don't think you're off. The manner in which they were caught is ... frankly, not very plausible. Someone knew that these fellows were crossing the border, and why, and the authorities were tipped and ready. I mean, really. How many people entering Switzerland from Italy are searched so thoroughly that false bottoms in luggage are discovered? I'd have to go with 'practically zero'.

I'll go further and say that since that business in Italy involving the rendition of the terrorist imam Abu Omar, and the subsequent legal charges the CIA operatives face, I'm sure that our side was hesitant to bag them on Italian soil. Nailing them at the border, using 'local hands', appears to be what has happened.

The amount and type of money involved means that major players are in on this. Coming thru Italy, I'd suspect a Middle Eastern (Saudi?) buyer, moving money quietly across the Med, and walking it to the bank in Switzerland to complete a sale.

For their own sakes, I hope these two couriers don't know a blessed thing about why they're moving that money. The reasons for doing this are few, and test the dark corners of the imagination.

[khnyny]

bump for later read.

[GreyMountainReagan]

This story boggles the mind. Not only for the staggering amount of money but also the silence in the media.

I don’t watch TV news but it wasn’t mentioned in the papers.

Why are we reduced to wondering among ourselves on FR?

Something is going on here and I don’t have even a clue what it is.

[April Lexington]

Any further news on this case? Biggest I’ve seen in my career if it really is $134 billion in bearer bonds. I still don;t believe it. Nobody has that kind of liquidity. Only governments and they don’t send two Japanese guys with a suitcase. They can trade anonymously from home. Or, they can take the bond certificates in via diplomatic pouch without the sneaking. Plus, the Swiss are in deep doo doo with the USA and Germany at the moment. I doubt they are willing to roil markets for anyone. Just wondering?

[April Lexington]

I'm not sure it was supposed to happen but I think the Italians wanted it to happen. I can't grasp the idea of any individual or family holding $134 billion in bonds. Bearer or otherwise. The Forbes list shows Buffett and Gates at roughly $70 billion. This would be a doubler and I can't fathom that kind of dough hiding quietly in some sleepy corner of the Earth. Only governments have $134 billion plus in bonds but those are usually electronic. Maybe a hoard of old Russian or pre-communist Chinese holdings? In any event, why sneak? Just Waltz in with the bonds in a diplo pouch. And... then what? Ask the Swiss to do the dirty work? They like to hold stuff, not trade stuff. Plus, with the dollar falling, who would want to sell for dollars? If they sold for other currencies, someone at a trading desk would quickly notice $134 in new market liquidity. The whole thing seems crazy!

[investigateworld]

My Google-fu is weak; I'm just finding what was posted here plus a lot of folks looking for an update.

Too many things wrong with this story - starting with the Italian Police.

The folks that handle these kind of sums are very sophisticated and would know that $500 million dollar bonds haven't been "printed out" so to speak since the early eighties.

I'm starting to suspect someone is doing a burn/scam on some Russian/Eastern block mob type guys.

Normally - that's an invitation to murder, but Japan does control entry into their homelands and moniters who's who in the Zoo, in a manner of speaking.

[April Lexington]

I’ll ask myself... “What about the Pope? Could the Pope be trying to get his dough to Switzerland before the dollar collapses?” Again, the Vatican would have diplomatic privileges and wouldn’t need to sneak...

[April Lexington]

Good theory. A sting of some sort. Could have been an intel tip to Italian police to stop the sting... We will likely never know...

[investigateworld]

I’ll ask myself... “"What about the Pope? Could the Pope be trying to get his dough to Switzerland before the dollar collapses?” Again, the Vatican would have diplomatic privileges and wouldn’t need to sneak..."

Ah-ha!!! Somebody is starting to figure out were all that BINGO money has been going ;^)

At this point, that's as good as any other theory.

[redhead]

"As they say, this is hugh, I'm series.
Yep, and I was in the shower!"

Okeydoke! I'll get the popcorn! Beeber set to "stune."

[Junior_G]

I don’t watch TV news but it wasn’t mentioned in the papers. Why are we reduced to wondering among ourselves on FR?

The top story on the CNN website is Chastity Bono's sex change announcement (I'm not kidding). The major news outlets are pathetic, but appropriately so for a country still giddy over its election of that fashionably-hued fraud Obama.

[Cindy]

Yep, hits the ODD button.