Tuesday, April 24, 2012 -
A Turkmen citizen was stopped at an Emirati airport this week after authorities discovered he was carrying thousands of dollars strapped to his abdomen, local Emirati news sources reported Tuesday.
The man is reported to have been carrying $124,000 in cash wrapped in bandages, the Emirates 24/7 news agency reported on Tuesday, citing reports from local Arab-language paper Alittihad.
Authorities stopped the Turkmen national at the Abu Dhabi airport, citing concerns that the money did not comply with the Emirates’ central bank laws on money laundering and the funding of terror groups.
The Turkmen visitor insists that the money is his, however.
Police continue to hold him at the airport while they investigate the source of the cash.
Though Turkmenistan is awash in energy riches, the average citizen scrapes by on meager wages.