WASHINGTON, D.C. --For the second time in as many weeks, the United States SecretService, working together with the Colombian National Police (DIJIN), suppressed acounterfeit U.S. coin plant. Nearly $100,000 in counterfeit "Golden Dollars," the U.S. $1Sacagawea coin, was seized on Monday, January 27th in Bogota.
U.S. Secret Service and Colombian DIJIN agents also seized materials and dies that, ifused, could have manufactured $1,000,000 in bogus U.S. coins. The coins were intendedfor distribution in Ecuador, which uses the U.S. dollar as its official currency.
"With the increased use of the dollar coin outside of the United States, the seizure of thisnumber of counterfeit coins is a significant success," said U.S. Secret Service DirectorRalph Basham.
This is the third U.S. dollar coin plant identified and suppressed by Colombian police theSecret Service in Colombia. The first coin plant was suppressed in Colombia in July2002. The second suppression was just two weeks ago, on January 14th, and resulted inthe seizure of enough material to produce 10,000 coins. Both plants were producing coins
intended for distribution in Ecuador.
The Secret Service opened a resident office in Bogota in 1996. As countries throughoutSouth and Central America "dollarize" -- adopt U.S. currency as their own nationalcurrency -- the office expanded its staff and increased its work with Colombianauthorities.
The U.S. Secret Service was created in 1865 with the sole purpose of suppressingcounterfeit currency. While the agency's responsibilities have expanded to includepresidential protection, its investigative mission still focuses on protecting theinfrastructure of the nation's financial systems.
Source: U.S. Secret Service