APA-Dakar (Senegal) – For some time now, Senegalese customs have been waging a relentless war against counterfeiting syndicates.
Senegalese customs officers continue to make a name for themselves by arresting people involved in the trafficking of counterfeit currency. In just a few months, the customs subdivision in Kolda, a region in southern Senegal near the borders with Guinea and Gambia, has seized more than 9 billion CFA francs (US$14.7 million) worth of black money.
The most recent seizure involved 3.4 billion CFA francs (US$5.5 million) of black money seized from four “counterfeiters” between Monday and Tuesday.
“The double operation followed the exploitation of intelligence about a plan to transfer and wash black banknotes by individuals operating in the south of the country. Thus, on the night of Monday, May 6, to Tuesday, May 7, at around 10 p.m., agents of the aforementioned unit tracked down and intercepted a first group of three individuals, including a person claiming to belong to the Defense and Security Forces,” according to a press release issued by the Senegalese Customs Administration.
The black banknotes seized were in CFA francs and dollars, it added, praising the “reinforcement of the customs network” launched in February 2024 by the institution’s director general, Mbaye Ndiaye.
In view of these investments, “the customs administration reaffirms its determination to dismantle criminal trafficking flows, in particular counterfeiting networks, and invites the public to cooperate with customs units and support them in carrying out their mission.”
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