A package containing counterfeit currency from China that was seized by Customs and Border Protection officers in Chicago between May 15 and 17, 2021. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced Tuesday (May 18) that it had again intercepted several shipments of counterfeit bills from China, totaling $685,000 in counterfeit money.
The counterfeit bills arrived at the International Mail Facility (IMF) in Chicago between May 15 and 17 and were addressed to cities in several states, including Illinois, Indiana, New York and Kentucky. The counterfeit bill types included $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100. One shipment was destined for the Bronx, New York, and contained 976 counterfeit $100 bills. The other shipment is scheduled for Louisville, Kentucky, and contains 101 counterfeit $20 and 103 counterfeit $50 bills.
CBP said it has referred the counterfeit bills to Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Secret Service for further investigation; the bills were sent to the U.S. as “prop currency,” in violation of a federal law prohibiting the copying of currency. Shane Campbell, Chicago Regional Port Director, said, “CBP officials will continue to be vigilant in watching for any type of prohibited shipments through the IMF to protect our financial institutions, businesses and the public.”
The city’s CPB officers also seized 281 shipments containing counterfeit bills and currency last month. Ninety-five percent of these shipments came from China . . including 39 counterfeit 50-cent coins, 6,345 counterfeit $1 coins, 283 counterfeit $2.50 coins, and 1,589 counterfeit $100 bills.
Just a few weeks ago, on April 6, Chicago CBP officials also announced that they had seized more than a hundred shipments of counterfeit currency, almost all from China, with a total value of more than $1.64 million. The shipments arrived in the United States between Jan. 1 and March 31. The counterfeit currency types included U.S. currency, coins and euros.
According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, China is the top country for smuggling counterfeit goods into the U.S. market, and CBP made 27,599 counterfeit seizures in fiscal year 2019. These goods are estimated to exceed $1.5 billion if sold at the market value of the genuine product.
Of the 2019 seizures, 13,293, or 48 percent, were from China, followed by Hong Kong with 9,778, or 35 percent. The top category of seized products was counterfeit watches and jewelry at 15 percent, followed by clothing and accessories at 14 percent.
Mike Pfeiffer, assistant director of the Chicago Regional Port, said, “Counterfeiting is a lucrative industry that is often used to fund illegal activities such as human trafficking, drugs, and even terrorism.”
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