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Counterfeiting (Full Episode) | Trafficked with Mariana Van Zeller

National Geographic・17 minutes read

Counterfeiting in Lima is a thriving criminal enterprise, with sophisticated operations producing high-quality fake U.S. bills and impacting economies, businesses, and individuals. The Peruvian National Police and the Secret Service in the U.S. are intensifying efforts to combat counterfeiting, leading to arrests and investigations to identify key players and origins in the counterfeit game.

Insights

  • Counterfeiting in Lima, Peru, has evolved into a sophisticated criminal enterprise involving skilled artisans producing high-quality fake U.S. bills, impacting economies, businesses, and individuals, with a wide network of operations and intricate workshops hidden in plain sight.
  • The counterfeit operation in Lima encompasses three crucial roles: the printer, the finisher, and the barrier for transporting fake cash, with a detailed process involving unique materials like glue, English cornstarch, and popsicle sticks to create convincing counterfeit bills, highlighting the elaborate nature of the counterfeit money trade and the challenges faced by authorities in combating this illegal activity.

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Recent questions

  • What criminal activity is thriving in Lima?

    Counterfeiting

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Summary

00:00

Counterfeiting Thrives in Lima, Impacting Economies

  • Lima has become a hub for counterfeiting, with a new criminal enterprise thriving in the city.
  • The Peruvian National Police have intensified efforts to combat counterfeiting, leading to arrests and investigations.
  • Sixty percent of fake U.S. bills are estimated to be produced in Peru, with intricate details in the counterfeits.
  • The Secret Service in the U.S. analyzes counterfeit bills to identify origins and key players in the counterfeit game.
  • Counterfeiting in Peru began in the early 2000s, with skilled artisans producing high-quality fake bills.
  • Counterfeiting impacts economies, businesses, and individuals, with recent counterfeit money busts in Lima.
  • Counterfeit operations in Lima are widespread, with many victims of fake bills and intricate workshops hidden in plain sight.
  • Street-side money changers in Lima are involved in exchanging fake bills, creating a murky world of counterfeit money.
  • The counterfeit operation involves three key positions: the printer, the finisher, and the barrier for transporting fake cash.
  • An investigative journalist gains access to a counterfeiting operation in Lima, revealing the intricate process of producing fake U.S. dollars.

36:38

Crafting Convincing Counterfeit Bills for Profit

  • The narrator travels to Villa El Salvador in Lima, known for criminal activities, to meet a counterfeiter called "the finisher" who meticulously crafts counterfeit bills by hand using glue, English cornstarch, and a popsicle stick for texture and weight, focusing on producing convincing twenty-dollar bills due to their ease of replication and lower scrutiny.
  • Counterfeit bills are transported into the U.S. by various means, including airplanes, cars, boats, and even the mail, with a network of couriers known as "the burier" ensuring their distribution into circulation through shopping centers, malls, fast-food places, and convenience stores, allowing counterfeiters to exchange fake bills for genuine money, highlighting the profitability and ease of this illegal activity.
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