By Philip Buda Ladu
The National Security Service has apprehended 14 people found in possession of over 93 million fake US dollars and four hundred thousand South Sudanese Pounds including other stolen items.
The stolen items include Rackshas, Noah, Premio and Vanguard cars plus motorcycles.
The suspected criminals were arrested by Operations Security Division of the NSS on Wednesday.
The National Security Service –Internal Security Bureau (ISB) on Thursday announced arrest on Wednesday
David John Kumuri, the Director of Information and Public Relation at the NSS told Journalists on Thursday, where the suspects were paraded before the media that the arrest came as a result of first surveillance and counter-operation that was launched by the Division’s Surveillance force.
He said the team managed to seize 88,000,000 Black US dollars, 5,071,000 incomplete USD and four hundred thousand notes of South Sudanese Pounds as well as chemical producing powders and other ingredients. The total amount of USD seized is 93,071,000 dollars.
Kumuri said the second operation witnessed the capture of stolen items which included, three Rackshas, one Noah car, two Premio and one Vanguard vehicles plus over six motorcycles.
The suspects comprised twelve South Sudanese Nationals and two foreign nationals; one Liberian and one Guinea Bissauan, both from West Africa, the suspects are altogether 14 in number currently under the custody of the NSS.
The NSS Public Relation Director noted that the black and white fake US dollars’ banknotes seized papers have been dyed to avoid detection by the authorities.
According to the South Sudan Penal Court Act section 153 on (Counterfeiting Coins and Notes) and section 158 of the Penal Court Act 2014 (Possessing of Instruments or Materials for the purposes of using the same for Counterfeiting Coins and Notes) are national security crimes and both are punishable by imprisonment terms not exceeding 7 years and may also be liable for fine.
Kumuri said in their preliminary findings that the suspects have fully admitted to the sole ownership of the counterfeit US dollars and they were in preparation to inject them into the market.
He underscored that part of that monies have already been injected into the market.
“This operation is part of the ongoing Internal Security Bureau (ISB) efforts to protect South Sudanese from fraudulent online schemes and bring justice to those who prey on South Sudanese. Today we have taken major steps to disrupt criminal networks that use schemes” Kumuri asserted.
He stressed that the indictment sends a clear message that the NSS will identify perpetrators–no matter where they reside, they will cut off the flow of ill-gotten gains.
He further noted that Thursday’s press briefing highlights the extensive efforts that organized criminal groups will engage in perpetrating scheme that target South Sudanese economy and their hard earned assets.
The NSS urged the citizens to be vigilant of such sophisticated financial schemes to protect themselves or their businesses from being victims.
Kumuri said they are committed to work with the public agencies to continue to identify those criminals and dismantle their network. The NSS Director of Public Relation said the detained suspected criminals are pending investigations and will be arraigned in the court however, the ISB warns the criminals at large and those practicing the act to desist from it as operations to counter and crackdown their network are underway.
