Moderators Moderator_03 Posted November 2 Moderators Posted November 2 Quote Police Report Seizure in Chilibre of 46 Boxes of Fake Balboa Coins November 1, 2024 The National Police reported this Friday, November 1, that after a search warrant carried out in Chilibre, north of the province of Panama, they seized 46 boxes with one (dollar) balboa coins, also known as ‘martinellis’. In a statement, the police reported that the operation was carried out in coordination with officials from the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the National Customs Authority and that the coins were in bags inside the boxes and that they are presumed to be counterfeit. It was reported that police officers observed a truck unloading merchandise in the early hours of the morning in a shopping mall in Chilibre and at the time of the respective verification they located the bags with the coins. It was also reported that “three people are being held.” The authorities have begun investigations into the case. https://newsroompanama.com/2024/11/01/police-report-seizure-in-chilibre-of-46-boxes-with-fake-balboa-coins/ Quote
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted November 9 Author Moderators Posted November 9 Quote National Customs Authority Found 19 Boxes of Fake martinelli’s Imported from China November 8, 2024 Customs locates another 19 boxes with counterfeit coins. There are three people charged in this case, two of whom are under the precautionary measure of periodic reporting and one remains in custody. The discovery was made during an audit of a warehouse located in Plaza Chilibre, where 183,202 fake coins were found last week. A statement from Customs details that the diligence in which the new batch of ‘martinelli’ coins was located is part of the investigation being carried out to establish their origin. After locating the new boxes, the Judicial Investigation Directorate (DIJ) and the Public Prosecutors Office (MP) were called to verify whether the coins found on Thursday, November 7, 2024, are part of the batch located last week or if it is a previous shipment. According to investigations carried out by the MP, the coins arrived in a container at France Field in the Colon Free Zone and then left in a truck to Plaza Chilibre where they were confiscated by the authorities. In this case, the MP was able to charge Zhuying Luo, Yanghua Zhang and Manuel Antonio Chang, who received the shipment in a warehouse located in Plaza Chilibre. However, the three defendants claimed during a hearing held on November 3 that they were unaware of the contents of the boxes and that they only store the goods. Both the MP and Customs are on the trail of the person or persons responsible for introducing the counterfeit coins into Panama and are trying to establish with certainty their origin. Investigative authorities estimate that an organized criminal network is responsible for the introduction of counterfeit coins into Panama, since their production, transportation and distribution in Panamanian commerce require well-structured logistics. Analysis carried out using machines from the National Bank of Panama determined that the confiscated coins had a design imitating the single-color logo of World Youth Day (WYD), which was put into circulation in 2017. https://newsroompanama.com/2024/11/08/the-national-customs-authority-located-19-boxes-with-fake-martinelli-coins-imported-from-china/ Quote
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted November 27 Author Moderators Posted November 27 Quote Public Prosecutor’s Office Locates Machines to Manufacture Fake ‘martinellis’ in Tocumen November 26, 2024 The Attorney General’s Office reported on the afternoon of Tuesday, November 26, that machines used to manufacture one balboa coins, known as “martinelli” coins, were found in a Tocumen warehouse. This search warrant was led by the Attorney General of the Nation, Javier Caraballo, who toured the warehouse, where the machines and supplies for the manufacture of counterfeit coins were located. Personnel from the Attorney General’s Office continue to collect evidence at the warehouse. This investigation was carried out by the Third Section of Crimes against Economic Assets of the Attorney General’s Office, together with the staff of the Judicial Investigation Directorate (DIJ). In addition, two Chinese citizens were arrested. They were present at the scene when the equipment was found. The discovery of this machine comes a week after a third shipment of counterfeit one balboa coins was found in a warehouse in Chilibre. The National Customs Authority found these shipments of counterfeit coins when carrying out an inspection at the Chilibre premises to detect merchandise introduced into the country without paying taxes. Three people have been arrested in this case and at least three investigations are being carried out into this case. https://newsroompanama.com/2024/11/26/public-prosecutors-office-locates-machines-to-manufacture-fake-martinellis-in-tocumen/ Quote
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