Nine people who were part of the illegal group were arrested, and 5,200 counterfeit banknotes and supplies for counterfeiting currency were seized in proceedings that were carried out in Pereira (Risaralda) and Medellín (Antioquia)
The Attorney General’s Office identified nine alleged members of ‘Los Nacionales’, an organized criminal group that would be involved in counterfeiting national currency on a large scale and its subsequent sale to citizens in general in commercial establishments, and public transportation service in different cities of the country.
These people were arrested in joint operations carried out with DIJIN-National Police in Pereira (Risaralda) and Medellín (Antioquia). As result of these procedures, 920 million COP in counterfeit banknotes of 20,000, 50,000 and 100,000 pesos were seized; in addition to a sealing machine, a handmade press, guillotines, quick-drying inks, imported paper, threads, holograms and security seals, among other elements used to give the appearance of authenticity to the currency.
Among the arrested people are María del Pilar Aguirre Atehortúa, who was allegedly in charge of coordinating the production of banknotes of different denominations in a property in Pereira, which operated under the façade of a stamping business; and her daughter, Evelyn García Aguirre, who allegedly received the money for the distribution of counterfeit money through the use of virtual wallets.
The other arrested people were Jairo Eudoro López Castañeda and Oswaldo Toro, who were allegedly in charge of graphic arts, lithography and printing; and José Obdulio Becerra Largo, Fernando Perilla, Carlos Humberto Sánchez Correa, Juan Pablo Rodríguez López and Jaime Harold Durango Rodríguez, in charge of distributing banknotes to owners of commercial establishments and transporters. The shipments were sent to different cities as books trying to evade the controls of the authorities.
A prosecutor belonging to Grupo contra la Falsificación de Moneda (Group against Counterfeit Currency) of the Delegate Office against Organized Crime charged ‘Los Nacionales’ with criminal conspiracy, counterfeiting national or foreign currency, and trafficking counterfeit currency. They did not plead guilty to the charges.
A judge in Pereira imposed a prison sentence.
The information contained in this press release corresponds to the narration of the objective news provided by the officials in charge of carrying out criminal investigations within the Office of the Attorney General. By the time this communication is disclosed, the legal status of the people mentioned is still pending to be resolved by the competent judicial authority, always under the presumption of innocence contemplated by Article 29 of the Political Constitution and Article 7 of Law 906 of 2004.