JUBA, South Sudan

The South Sudanese national security agency recovered a large amount of counterfeit US dollars and local currency on Thursday and apprehended 14 alleged criminals in the capital Juba.

The National Security Service (NSS) detained the alleged criminals, who were in possession of numerous counterfeited money notes, including US dollars of 100 denominations and South Sudan pound of 500 and 1,000 denominations, among other illicit items, NSS Director Public Relations David John told reporters in the capital.

He stated that 12 locals and two foreigners from Guinea Bissau and Liberia were arrested.

The NSS' Operations Security Division was tasked with surveillance on criminals in the city, and during the raid, its team discovered 930,710 fake US currency notes, 50,710 of which were in the process of being printed, and the rest were ready for use, John said.

The raiding team also seized 400,000 counterfeit local currency notes, as well as chemicals and other material required in the production of false currency notes, he added.

According to the country law, the offense is punishable by up to seven years in prison and a fine or both, according to the official, who also claimed that the arrested men admitted to their crime during preliminary interrogations.

The raiding team also recovered stolen vehicles, including three rickshaws, four cars, and six motorbikes from the same compound, he said.

People asked to stay away from phony firms

"Today we have taken a huge step to destroy criminal networks that exploit schemes," John asserted, adding that the arrested persons were also involved in trapping people for money through internet platforms.

“We urged citizens to be aware of these sophisticated financial schemes to protect themselves or their businesses from becoming victims,” he said and added that the NSS is committed to continuing to identify these criminals and dismantling their network in collaboration with public agencies.