Zambian law enforcement officials made a significant bust on Friday, seizing a staggering $1.6 million in counterfeit US dollar bills in the capital city.
The Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) apprehended five individuals linked to a criminal syndicate responsible for the counterfeit currency operation.
According to DEC spokesperson Allan Tamba, the suspects, all Zambian nationals, were taken into custody during a targeted operation.
Authorities also recovered 1,639,800 counterfeit US dollar notes.
However, the syndicate’s alleged Zimbabwean accomplice, Garry Williams, remains at large. Tamba assured the public that the DEC is actively pursuing Williams and will bring him to justice.
In addition to the counterfeit cash, the DEC confiscated a Toyota IST vehicle with registration number BLA 5957,believed to have been used by the criminal network to transport the illicit funds.
The DEC has launched a full-scale investigation into the counterfeit ring, aiming to dismantle the operation completely and prevent further circulation of the fake currency.