Security forces in Niger have dismantled a counterfeiting operation, seizing at least 270 million CFA francs ($470,244) in fake euro and dollar notes, authorities told state-owned television on Tuesday.
Officers who raided the site in Takieta, a town in the centre of the West African nation, also discovered counterfeit passports, car insurance papers and license plates.
“After an investigation, we obtained a warrant and we indeed found sacks containing counterfeit bills … Unfortunately, the suspect fled before our arrival as if he’d been warned,” said a National Guard officer identified only as Tidjani.
Three firearms were also recovered, the television report said, along with products, including mercury, used to make the counterfeit money.
Individuals found guilty of counterfeiting risk a sentence of five to 10 years in prison in Niger.
Located along the vast, arid Sahel region, Niger is host to some of the most heavily travelled routes for smuggling everything from migrants and drugs to weapons between West and North Africa. ($1 = 574.17 CFA francs) (Reporting by Abdoulaye Massalaki, editing by Joe Bavier, Bernard Orr)
