The Angolan Criminal Investigation Service (SIC) arrested four men, one of whom is Brazilian, for the crime of counterfeiting foreign currency, finding in their possession material to counterfeit 11.5 million dollars.
According to SIC spokesperson, Manuel Halaiwa, the network was dismantled on Friday after an operation that culminated in the arrest of these four individuals, aged between 38 and 53.
Manuel Halaiwa said that the 51-year-old Brazilian citizen, who has lived in Angola for 17 years, is a mechanical engineer and works in a mining area, in the province of Lunda Norte, but was arrested in Luanda, having been found with three of the four safes seized, where the material for the production of counterfeit banknotes was located.
The SIC spokesperson stressed that the accused was detained when he was allegedly heading towards the area where these notes would be reproduced.
Following the arrest of the Brazilian citizen, three other men were also arrested in Luanda, who were part of the network, in possession of two other suitcases, with a safe and several films, which were supposed to be used for forgery.
“These safes had films, in each safe there was an amount, in terms of films, that could provide a total of 11.5 million dollars. Each safe had a total of 2.5 million films and the suitcase 1.5 million “, said the SIC spokesperson.