Six people, including foreign nationals, were caught in the act while planning to make counterfeit dollars to smuggle into African nations during an operation carried out by the Istanbul Provincial Gendarmerie Command teams. A total of $1 billion in counterfeit money, consisting of 10 million $100 bills, was found during the search of the place where the suspects’ warehouse was located.
According to the news from the Ihlas news agency (İHA), it has been reported that a criminal network was preparing to smuggle counterfeit dollars to African countries by printing them, based on the operations conducted by the Istanbul Provincial Gendarmerie Command teams. Through intelligence work and physical surveillance, the identities and addresses of the suspects were determined. It was revealed that the suspects had entered and exited a warehouse in the Kağıthane district at different times, stayed inside the warehouse for extended periods, and transported large quantities of cargo boxes and crates.
The Gendarmerie teams, conducting the largest seizure of counterfeit currency in a single operation in the history of the Republic, caught a total of 6 individuals in the act: three Swedish citizens named D.B.S.B, N.J.W, and N.O.F., one British citizen named J.W., one Ghanaian citizen named A.K.K., and one Turkish citizen named A.Ö. These individuals were involved in both the production and transportation of the counterfeit money. During the search of the warehouse, a total of 1 billion dollars in counterfeit currency, consisting of 10 million 100-dollar banknotes, was seized, which is the highest amount ever seized at once.
The Gendarmerie teams also conducted searches in the luxurious villas rented by the suspects in Istanbul’s Şişli district and confiscated a certain amount of money and jewelry. The respective consulates of the suspects’ countries have been informed, and it is reported that an ongoing criminal investigation is underway regarding the suspects.