$8.4M In Counterfeit Money Seized In Peru

Task Force Arrests 5, Seizes Printing Presses Used To Print Fake U.S. Currency

WASHINGTON, D.C., April 14, 2009 – full story

(CBS)  The U.S. Secret Service announced the arrest of five people and the seizure of $8.4 million in counterfeit U.S. currency, as part of a bilateral effort to combat a rise in the spread of fake $100 bills.

The arrests were the result of work by a task force based in Lima created by the Secret Service and the Peruvian National Police.

The Peruvian Counterfeit Task Force was formed in February to combat an increase in counterfeit currency being passed throughout the United States (particularly in South Florida, New York, Newark and Los Angeles).

The fake bills were of a specific series of $100 notes that were believed to have been printed in Peru.

The Secret Service said today that two search warrants were executed for targets inside Peru on April 6 resulting in the arrests.

In addition to the seizure of $8.4 million in fake Federal Reserve Notes, the task force also collected eight lithographic printing presses 9left) and numerous plates and negatives.