Caught with materials for making fake dollars

CRIME

The Uganda Revenue Authority is investigating the possibility of a criminal enterprise in South Sudan that is involved in manufacturing fake dollars.

This is after Duach Chuol Kaylech Toang, a South Sudanese national, was mid-this week intercepted at the Malaba border post with materials for making fake dollar notes.

He was travelling from Kenya to South Sudan through Uganda.

Ian Rumanyika, the assistant commissioner of public and corporate affairs at URA, said Toang raised suspicion when the Non-Intrusive Inspection scanners at the Malaba border point picked a strange sight in his luggage.

"When we were searching his hand language through our scanners, we noticed that there were some items that were unclear to us," he said.

"On doing a further search, we found that he was carrying batches of small cut paper in the size of US dollar notes. He also had small tins of chemicals," added the URA official.

"We did some experiments with him and found that the chemicals turned the paper into fake dollar notes, which we intercepted.

"Now we are profiling the case to know who he is working with and if there is a racket.

Once done, the officials would move the suspect from Malaba to Kampala "to face the law".

Suspect Duach Chuol Kaylech Toang was arrested at Malaba border post. (Credit: URA)

URA posted a thread on its Twitter page detailing the operation.

The thread is titled: Suspect Found In Possession Of Materials For Making Fake Dollars At Malaba OSBP

Duach Chuol Kaylech Toang, a Sudanese national was just a normal traveler crossing Malaba OSBP [One Stop Border Post] by bus from Kenya through Uganda to ultimately go to South Sudan.

As is the norm, travelers crossing the border are checked and so is their hand luggage.

One by one, their hand luggage went through the non intrusive hand luggage scanner at the border without a problem until it was the turn for Duach's luggage.

The hand luggage Non Intrusive Inspection (NII) scanner at the border picked up something uncanny which prompted the team to physically inspect the luggage.

They found bundles of papers the size of a dollar and some liquid among other things in the suspect's hand luggage.

On face value, they were just papers but upon application of the liquid (chemical) contained in Duach's luggage, the papers transformed into fake dollars. Immediately the suspect, Duach, was arrested and he is set to face the law.

Non Intrusive Inspection (NII) technology, a powerful tool against smuggling continues to put many smugglers away.

Facilitation of legitimate trade and protection of society from harmful products are two of customs core mandates.

Suspect Found In Possession Of Materials For Making Fake Dollars At Malaba OSBP

Duach Chuol Kaylech Toang, a Sudanese national was just a normal traveler crossing Malaba OSBP by bus from Kenya through Uganda to ultimately go to South Sudan.

A thread! #AntiSmugglingAlert pic.twitter.com/3WLzdK7uSJ

— Uganda Revenue Authority (@URAuganda) January 22, 2020