JEDDAH, 11 September 2006 — Police recently arrested a Saudi returning from a Gulf country with unfinished counterfeit dollar bills worth more than $111,000. The arrest occurred at the Al-Bateha point along the Kingdom’s northern border.
The man concealed the fake bills in plastic bags under the seat of his vehicle. The bills could have been ready for circulation after the simple process of washing in a particular chemical, a police source told Arab News.
The officials at various border points have foiled several attempts to smuggle forged currencies from various GCC countries, the source said.
The Saudi authorities, however, have beefed up inspections of travelers returning to the Kingdom since the middle of last month. This followed reports from Egypt that the police there had arrested gangs specializing in counterfeiting and circulating both Saudi and Egyptian currencies.
The source also said the smugglers tried to bring fake SR100 and SR500 notes hidden inside car tires.
A team of SAMA (Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency) officials at the checkpoints helps the police to differentiate between what is legal currency and what is counterfeit.
According to Saudi regulations, any person bringing counterfeit currency into the country or circulating them in the country is liable to severe punishment. The punishment could be a jail term between five and 25 years and a fine ranging from a low of SR30,000 to a high of SR500,000. Those who own tools or materials for manufacturing counterfeit currency also face severe punishment.
Security officials also conduct intensive investigations of any case of fake currency reported in any part of the Kingdom. Arab News has learned that some expatriates, particularly those from certain African countries, are supplying materials required for counterfeiting currency notes in the Kingdom.
