Japanese pair arrested in Italy with US bonds worth $134 billion

[Æon]

Italian prosecutors were trying to establish yesterday whether US bonds with a face value of $134 billion seized from two alleged smugglers were real or counterfeit.

The bonds were found when the two men — said to be Japanese but as yet not identified — were arrested while attempting to cross into Switzerland from Italy by train at the frontier town of Chiasso this month. Prosecutors in Como said that the two men had hidden the bonds in the false bottom of a suitcase.

Police said that Chiasso was a notorious crossing point for currency and bond smugglers but the sums involved this time were “colossal”. The amount of $134 billion would place the two travellers as the fourth most important investors in US debt, well ahead of Britain ($128.2 billion) and just behind Russia ($138.4 billion).

The bonds were described as being 249 US Federal Reserve bonds each worth $500 million, plus ten Kennedy bonds with face values of $1 billion, in addition to various other types. Police said that the two men had stayed at a hotel in Milan last Tuesday. Instead of taking the express train to Lugano, they had boarded a slow commuter train from a suburban station to attract less attention.

Although Switzerland and Italy adhere to the Schengen accords on frontier-free travel, customs officers from both sides who still watch travellers became suspicious, Italian reports said.

Police said that there was cause for concern even if the bonds turned out to be forgeries, since it would amount to a counterfeiting scam “on an unprecedented scale”.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article6507161.ece

What the ****. Honestly, this is the most unreported story that should really be touched upon in the news. The ambiguity of the story is astonishing.

 

[TheDrunkenMoron]

Dirty Tojo's, stealing over a year of the GDP of most countries!

 

[Mage246]

Hmm, I can't help but suspect that this might be money swindled from the massive national (and mandatory) pension plan they have in Japan.

 

[Bank Robber]

This is one of the few times in my life that  I won't even pretend to have a clue what's going on.

Truly an amazing story. thx for sharing.

 

[Mage246]

Hmm, with a name like Bank Robber, I can't help but wonder if you're involved in the crime...

 

[Jackamo]

                                                     

 

[Anarion]

Hmm, with a name like Bank Robber, I can't help but wonder if you're involved in the crime...

Did magic play a part in that deduction?

 

[Mage246]

Billions of dollars = possible bank robbery = Bank Robber

Nope, seemed pretty straightforward, no need for magic.

 

[Revilo]

You could of at least used a little bit. You know, for entertainment value

 

[Mage246]

Okay, hocus pocus, croakus!

[me=Mage246]turns Revilo into a frog[/me]

That entertaining enough?

 

[Revilo]

*croak*

On topic: How can something that big, I mean $138.4 billion dollars big, not be reported? Or if it has I haven't heard anything about it.

 

[ealabor]

On topic: How can something that big, I mean $138.4 billion dollars big, not be reported? Or if it has I haven't heard anything about it.

This is some ****ed up Alex Jones ****. I don't subscribe to such views, but the lack of coverage will only reinforce conspiracy theorists.

Theres no way you can spin a happy ending on this, even if you try and look at a down to earth explaination, which would be that Japan is trying to get out of the dollar.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8046599.stm

Even if thats's the case, that means the dollar would take a big hit.


[Edit]

WTF..
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123828522318566241.html

 

[Varric]

Wow, so how did they get caught anyway?

 

[Æon]

Wow, so how did they get caught anyway?

Details are so fuzzy as well as few and far between that no one really knows. I'm sure if you looked into it you might find something.