Cape Town - Cops have bust a counterfeit gang who thought making fake cash was as easy as scanning documents on a printer.
But a 35-year-old man and a 29-year-old female’s luck ran out on Wednesday when they were caught red-handed with R16 700 worth of counterfeit “Randela” notes.
And when police made the huge bust in Auber Street, Delft South, they expected to find a stash of drugs.
Instead they found uncut fake notes still on A4 sheets of paper.
The suspects had first scanned real “Randela” notes before copying them onto blank sheets and stuffing them into black bags.
The duo is expected to make their first court appearance on Friday at the Bellville Magistrates’ Court on a charge of being in the possession of and manufacturing counterfeit money.
But it had been an arrest of the 35-year-old male on drug charges which led police to this house.
The man had given the address as his own and once police swooped on the house, they found a bag full of fake Randela notes as well as an HP scanner.
Police confiscated one R20 note, 35 R50 notes, 110 R100 notes and 20 R200 notes.
Delft cluster police spokesperson Captain Joe Wilson tells the Daily Voice the bust forms part of their festive season operations.
“The money was found in a black bag in a cupboard in one of the back rooms,” explained Wilson.
“And the scanner was in the kitchen.”
When the Daily Voice questioned neighbours about the “money making factory”, they refused to be named and claimed they had no knowledge of what was happening.
Provincial police spokeman Lieutenant Colonel André Traut says cops believed they would find drugs instead of money.
“Members of the Delft Visible Policing Unit searched a house in Auber Street,” he said.
“The search emanated from an earlier arrest of the same suspect for the illegal possession of drugs.
“The suspect then gave the address as his, while he was arrested at another address.
“Armed with a search warrant, members were pleasantly surprised when they failed to recover any drugs but rather counterfeit money instead.”
Wilson says people found in the possession of fake cash will be arrested.
“People should look at the government badge and the metal strips on the notes [to check authenticity],” he said.
“They should look for the watermark and feel the texture of the note.”
*This article was published in the Daily Voice