U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized nearly $1.4 million in counterfeit currency at a Chicago mail facility. The shipment of fake cash came in from Ukraine, officials stated.
Office of Field Operations officers assigned to the Chicago International Mail Facility on November 16 found a large quantity of counterfeit U.S. currency in a package sent from Ukraine, according to CBP officials.
Officer inspected a parcel destined for an address in Joliet, Illinois, from Ukraine. The inspection of the package to determine its eligibility to enter the U.S. led to the discovery of multiple bundles of what appeared to be U.S. $100 bills. The bundles contained 13,597 fake $100 bills.
The package described the contents as “prop money,” officials stated. However, it is a violation of federal law to reproduce U.S. currency for any purpose.
Officers seized the fake currency and turned the package over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Secret Service special agents for further investigation.
“This is just one of many examples of CBP’s success in protecting the worldwide integrity of U.S. currency,” said Shane Campbell, Port Director-Chicago. “CBP continues to adapt its strategies to combat trends in counterfeiting and smuggling to protect the American public from these illegal importations.”
Just a few weeks ago, CBP officers at this same mail facility in Chicago found multiple other packages being sent from Ukraine. On October 23, officers found a package containing bundles of fake $20 and $100 bills. The bills totaled more than $298,000 in counterfeit bills. This package also listed an address in Joliet as its destination.
On October 24, officers found another Ukrainian package — this one destined for Staten Island, New York. The package contained another $272,220 in counterfeit $20 bills.
All three packages listed the bills as “prop money.”
“The importation of counterfeit currency can pose a threat not only to the United States economy, but our national security as well,” Director Campbell said at the time. “The illegal importation of this amount of counterfeit currency has the potential to be a very serious criminal act. I give the officers credit for helping to maintain the integrity of our system and protecting the citizens of the United States.”
These seizures totaled just under $2 million in counterfeit U.S. currency.
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior news contributor for the Breitbart Texas-Border team. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday-morning talk show. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX, Parler @BobPrice, and Facebook.