(Lima, Peru) On July 20, 2018, Peruvian National Police (PNP) and the U.S. Secret Service successfully executed 18 search warrants in Lima, Peru. The search warrants were executed at private residences, with the assistance of 360 PNP Officers and 28 Prosecutors. The execution of the search warrants yielded the following: 1 offset printing press, paper, and miscellaneous counterfeit paraphernalia; $7,200,000 in counterfeit $100 U.S. Federal Reserve Notes; and 12,000,000 in counterfeit Peruvian Soles ($3.75M USD). Eleven Peruvian nationals of the "Coyotes del Pacifico" criminal organization were arrested in Limas Carabayllo district and will be prosecuted through the Peruvian counterfeit penal code.
The case began in July 2017, when the Peruvian National Police (PNP) Vetted Anti-Counterfeit Group, working closely with the Secret Service Lima Resident Office, initiated a criminal investigation into the manufacturing and distribution of counterfeit U.S. Federal Reserve Notes. The Peruvian National Police and Secret Service identified suspects in one of the largest counterfeit currency manufacturing and distribution networks in Lima after numerous undercover consensual calls, wire intercepts, extensive surveillances, purchases of counterfeit currency, and information provided by criminal informants.
The Secret Service considers Peru the number one producer of counterfeit U.S. dollars in the world. The successful cooperation between the Peruvian National Police and the Secret Service since 2012 has made possible the arrests of numerous individuals and the seizure of millions of counterfeit notes.
Source: U.S. Secret Service