Man accused of heading Marina Bay Sands fake chips scheme

A 54-year-old Singaporean man was arrested on Saturday after having been accused of heading a syndicate responsible for distributing counterfeit casino chips at the Marina Bay Sands casino, owned by Las Vegas Sands.
Toh Hock Thiam was detained as part of an operation in which the Singapore Police Force (SPF) had received “a strong sense of cooperation and assistance” from the Macau Judiciary Police (PJ) and the Royal Malaysia Police (RMP).
Counterfeit casino chips worth more than USD1 million, along with mobile phones and cash, were seized during the operation.
According to a Straits Times report, the suspect reportedly set up a man who would then recruit runners to use fake chips at the casino. On November 22, one of the runners used two chips valued at $2,000 in total. The State Courts in Singapore issued an arrest warrant for Toh.  If convicted, he could be behind bars for up to seven years, or fined a maximum of $150,000.  The two punishments may also be applied together.
Toh was nabbed in Malaysia on December 31, according to a press release issued by the SPF.
“The arrest of this syndicate leader bears testament to the excellent relationship forged between the Singapore Police Force and the RMP and the PJ,” said the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Investigations & Intelligence) and the director of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Tan Chye Hee. Police have confirmed that the officers from the Casino Crime Investigation branch of the CID commenced investigations at the end of November 2015 when a case involving the use of suspected forged chips was discovered at the Marina Bay Sands casino.