National Security Arrests 16 in Counterfeit Currency Crackdown, Seizes $543,000
The National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) has dismantled several organized counterfeit currency networks operating across Greater Accra and its surrounding areas, arresting 16 suspects including Ghanaian and foreign nationals.
The arrests were made during six intelligence-led operations conducted from June 12 to July 24, 2026, following months of undercover monitoring.
In a statement issued Tuesday, September 22, 2026, the NSCS said the groups were involved in the mass production, possession and circulation of fake local and foreign currencies, which had found their way into markets, forex centres and other financial channels.
During the operations, security operatives seized four industrial printing machines, six vehicles and two motorcycles allegedly used by the syndicates to produce and distribute the fake currencies.
The Secretariat also recovered counterfeit notes ready for circulation amounting to $543,000, GH¢196,600 and CFA60,000. It further intercepted bulk counterfeit materials awaiting printing, with face values of $5.29 million, GH¢19.55 million and CFA623.55 million.
According to the NSCS, the syndicates operated like structured criminal enterprises, with designated roles for printing technicians, cross-border coordinators and motorbike dispatch riders who delivered the fake notes to buyers.
Giving a breakdown of the operations, the NSCS said an operation targeting a transnational cell led to the arrest of seven suspects – three Ghanaians and four foreign nationals – along with three vehicles and $65,900 in fake dollars.
At Amuzu, a suburb of Kasoa, one suspect was arrested with a printing machine, fake gold bars, mobile phones and large quantities of counterfeit notes.
In Lashibi and Klagon, five suspects were arrested after a storage facility and printing equipment were discovered. At Lakeside Estate, another suspected distributor was arrested with five boxes of counterfeit GH¢200 notes valued at GH¢12.42 million and two motorcycles.
The Secretariat revealed that some of the groups used churches and office premises as fronts to conceal their printing and storage activities.
All 16 suspects have been remanded in state custody.
Their case dockets have been submitted to the Office of the Attorney-General and Ministry of Justice, with prosecution currently underway at the Accra High Court.
Efforts are ongoing to arrest other accomplices who have been identified, while processes have begun for the forfeiture of the seized vehicles, machines and phones.
The NSCS has urged banks, forex operators, landlords and religious institutions to be vigilant and report any suspicious bulk printing activities or unusual foreign currency transactions.
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