My apologies, mate. I completely missed that technical detail. Thank you for pointing it out; I appreciate you looking out for the quality of the thread. I am updating the post to English right away to match the forum guidelines!
🚨 [REPORT] Operation Victoria: Counterfeit USD Mega-Factory Dismantled in Colombia with Routes to Ecuador's Dollarized Economy
Category: U.S. & World Currency Forum / Banknote News Date: September 2026
Hi everyone,
I would like to share an important technical analysis regarding one of the largest seizures of counterfeit US dollars in South America so far this year. The primary distribution vector for these notes directly targeted the circulating cash flow in Ecuador.
In a joint operation known as "Operation Victoria," the Colombian National Police (DIJÍN), the Attorney General's Office, and the United States Secret Service successfully dismantled an industrial-grade clandestine printing facility.
📊 Key Figures of the Seizure
Seized Counterfeit Currency: $517,730 in fake USD and $350,950,000 in fake Colombian Pesos.
Estimated Capacity: The organization operated with industrial-grade lithographic machinery (including a heavy offset press and two high-definition laser printers), with an estimated production capacity of 10,000 US banknotes per day.
Arrests: 5 individuals were captured in total. At the production hub in Valle del Cauca, Hugo Chávez, alias "Majinbu" (the ringleader and financier), was arrested alongside technical printer William Ibáñez. Simultaneously, the storage and logistics node in Bogotá was raided, resulting in the capture of Omar Montes, alias "Damián."
🗺️ Logistics, Transport Vectors, and the "Uniform" Factor
The criminal organization relied on a fragmented structure and high-profile infiltration to bypass military intelligence alerts:
1. The Factory: Concealed inside a discreet house in the municipality of La Unión, Valle del Cauca, where plates were processed and chemical treatments were applied to the inks to simulate the characteristic texture and relief of genuine paper.
2. Use of Military Uniforms as Camouflage: Upon arresting alias "Damián" in Bogotá, law enforcement seized an official uniform exclusive to the National Army. Investigations revealed that the suspects wore military uniforms and carried forged credentials to move entire shipments of counterfeit currency through highway checkpoints without raising suspicion, thereby gaining the trust of specific transporters and logistics links.
3. The Southern Vector toward Ecuador: The final destination for most of this bulk production was the Putumayo department, a critical border zone used to smuggle the cash across illegal jungle checkpoints (known locally as "trochas") directly into Ecuador.
🇪🇨 Impact on Ecuador's Dollarized System
For the numismatic and currency analysis community at PCGS, the case of Ecuador is highly critical. As a 100% dollarized economy that heavily relies on physical cash for daily commerce, it serves as the perfect sinkhole for transnational counterfeiting rings. Criminals exploit informal economies and border retail markets to inject these high-fidelity lithographic pieces, easily washing the fake bills in exchange for genuine USD without ever triggering the filters of central banking systems.
📲 The Digital Aggravator: Mass Distribution on TikTok
An alarming phenomenon currently observed locally in Ecuador is that distribution is no longer purely clandestine. Anonymous accounts and criminal networks are actively utilizing TikTok and Telegram to openly promote the sale of these counterfeit dollar batches brought in from Colombia. Through short videos, they brazenly incentivize "daily deception" and micro-scams, selling these notes at a fraction of their face value to ordinary citizens. This severely impacts innocent small merchants who lack advanced verification tools.
Thank you ricarf for the polite and educational posts!
"Criminal Group Dismantled in Colombia for Counterfeiting U.S. Dollars
News
Colombia's Attorney General's Office reported the arrest of the leader of a transnational criminal group that had been counterfeiting dollar notes. The man is believed to have also coordinated the distribution of the fake money within Colombia, Ecuador, and the United States."
@Heubschgold said:
Thank you ricarf for the polite and educational posts!
"Criminal Group Dismantled in Colombia for Counterfeiting U.S. Dollars
News
Colombia's Attorney General's Office reported the arrest of the leader of a transnational criminal group that had been counterfeiting dollar notes. The man is believed to have also coordinated the distribution of the fake money within Colombia, Ecuador, and the United States."
Thank you so much for your kind words, my friend! I truly appreciate the recognition. I always try my best to stay informed on these news stories so I can bring them here and share them with all of you. After all, the U.S. dollar is the currency that connects us all.
Based on my research, Colombia is a highly critical hotspot in the region. There are criminal groups becoming extremely specialized in making these counterfeits with the main goal of smuggling them into the Ecuadorian economy, which is a fully dollarized market and makes it an attractive target.
The link and report you added to the thread are an excellent and timely reminder. Those massive operations—like the ones that seized over $1.2 million in counterfeit bills years ago—prove that because this is such a lucrative business for them, it is a cycle that unfortunately keeps repeating and will continue to do so. Thanks for enriching the discussion with such a valuable contribution!
@USSID18 said:
By the way, this picture is annoying as hell!
Hi friend,
I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. As I mentioned in a previous comment, my intention is never to bother anyone here. Since this signature is bothersome to you, I will proceed to change it right away.
If you don't mind me asking out of pure respect: is it because of the concept/content of the image itself, or is it simply due to its size? I would highly appreciate your feedback so I can adjust it correctly. Thank you!
Comments
Lo siento, pero…
Superb collections are built more by omission than by addition.
My apologies, mate. I completely missed that technical detail. Thank you for pointing it out; I appreciate you looking out for the quality of the thread. I am updating the post to English right away to match the forum guidelines!
🚨 [REPORT] Operation Victoria: Counterfeit USD Mega-Factory Dismantled in Colombia with Routes to Ecuador's Dollarized Economy
Category: U.S. & World Currency Forum / Banknote News
Date: September 2026
Hi everyone,
I would like to share an important technical analysis regarding one of the largest seizures of counterfeit US dollars in South America so far this year. The primary distribution vector for these notes directly targeted the circulating cash flow in Ecuador.
In a joint operation known as "Operation Victoria," the Colombian National Police (DIJÍN), the Attorney General's Office, and the United States Secret Service successfully dismantled an industrial-grade clandestine printing facility.
📊 Key Figures of the Seizure
🗺️ Logistics, Transport Vectors, and the "Uniform" Factor
The criminal organization relied on a fragmented structure and high-profile infiltration to bypass military intelligence alerts:
1. The Factory: Concealed inside a discreet house in the municipality of La Unión, Valle del Cauca, where plates were processed and chemical treatments were applied to the inks to simulate the characteristic texture and relief of genuine paper.
2. Use of Military Uniforms as Camouflage: Upon arresting alias "Damián" in Bogotá, law enforcement seized an official uniform exclusive to the National Army. Investigations revealed that the suspects wore military uniforms and carried forged credentials to move entire shipments of counterfeit currency through highway checkpoints without raising suspicion, thereby gaining the trust of specific transporters and logistics links.
3. The Southern Vector toward Ecuador: The final destination for most of this bulk production was the Putumayo department, a critical border zone used to smuggle the cash across illegal jungle checkpoints (known locally as "trochas") directly into Ecuador.
🇪🇨 Impact on Ecuador's Dollarized System
For the numismatic and currency analysis community at PCGS, the case of Ecuador is highly critical. As a 100% dollarized economy that heavily relies on physical cash for daily commerce, it serves as the perfect sinkhole for transnational counterfeiting rings. Criminals exploit informal economies and border retail markets to inject these high-fidelity lithographic pieces, easily washing the fake bills in exchange for genuine USD without ever triggering the filters of central banking systems.
📲 The Digital Aggravator: Mass Distribution on TikTok
An alarming phenomenon currently observed locally in Ecuador is that distribution is no longer purely clandestine. Anonymous accounts and criminal networks are actively utilizing TikTok and Telegram to openly promote the sale of these counterfeit dollar batches brought in from Colombia. Through short videos, they brazenly incentivize "daily deception" and micro-scams, selling these notes at a fraction of their face value to ordinary citizens. This severely impacts innocent small merchants who lack advanced verification tools.
Thank you ricarf for the polite and educational posts!
"Criminal Group Dismantled in Colombia for Counterfeiting U.S. Dollars
News
Colombia's Attorney General's Office reported the arrest of the leader of a transnational criminal group that had been counterfeiting dollar notes. The man is believed to have also coordinated the distribution of the fake money within Colombia, Ecuador, and the United States."
https://www.occrp.org/en/news/criminal-group-dismantled-in-colombia-for-counterfeiting-us-dollars
Thank you so much for your kind words, my friend! I truly appreciate the recognition. I always try my best to stay informed on these news stories so I can bring them here and share them with all of you. After all, the U.S. dollar is the currency that connects us all.
Based on my research, Colombia is a highly critical hotspot in the region. There are criminal groups becoming extremely specialized in making these counterfeits with the main goal of smuggling them into the Ecuadorian economy, which is a fully dollarized market and makes it an attractive target.
The link and report you added to the thread are an excellent and timely reminder. Those massive operations—like the ones that seized over $1.2 million in counterfeit bills years ago—prove that because this is such a lucrative business for them, it is a cycle that unfortunately keeps repeating and will continue to do so. Thanks for enriching the discussion with such a valuable contribution!
By the way, this picture is annoying as hell!
Hi friend,
I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. As I mentioned in a previous comment, my intention is never to bother anyone here. Since this signature is bothersome to you, I will proceed to change it right away.
If you don't mind me asking out of pure respect: is it because of the concept/content of the image itself, or is it simply due to its size? I would highly appreciate your feedback so I can adjust it correctly. Thank you!
@ricarf2386 It's to big and too much clutter on the thread.
Ok, friend, I made some modifications.
Have fun with it @ricarf2386 See you later.