U.S. accuses North Korea of $100 bill counterfeiting

THE WASHINGTON TIMES ^ | Oct 12, 2005 | Bill Gertz

[Hadean]

The Bush administration formally has accused North Korea of manufacturing high-quality counterfeit $100 "supernotes" for the first time, according to an indictment made public yesterday as part of a 16-year probe.

"Quantities of the supernote were manufactured in, and under auspices of the government of, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea)," said the indictment of Irish national Sean Garland and six others. "Individuals, including North Korean nationals acting as ostensible government officials, engaged in the worldwide transportation, delivery, and sale of quantities of supernotes."

It was the first time the federal government provided details of North Korea's suspected counterfeiting of U.S. currency. The May 19 indictment was unsealed Saturday after Mr. Garland was arrested in Belfast.

A Justice Department spokesman said the State Department will file a formal extradition request for Mr. Garland in the next several days.

Mr. Garland, leader of the Marxist-Leninist Worker's Party, an arm of the Official Irish Republican Army, used his party contacts in North Korea and other nations to coordinate the purchase of fake $100 bills forged in North Korean, the indictment stated.

"This arrest is one of the most significant related to the 16-year-long investigation into the distribution of this family of highly deceptive counterfeit U.S. currency notes," said U.S. Secret Service Special Agent James B. Burch, head of the Washington field office. The indictment accuses Mr. Garland of meeting with North Korean government officials in Warsaw in 1997 to buy a quantity of supernotes.

The indictment is the second major U.S. case involving North Korean supernotes. In September, authorities in California arrested several Chinese nationals in connection with suspected North Korean supernote trafficking. That indictment, however, only identified North Korea as "country 2."

[tonycavanagh]

During the Second World War the RHSA arm of the SS had the same idea with forged British Five pound notes.In the end they used the money to finance a number of SS operations, and near the end of the War to set up escape routes and safe ares in South America amongst other countries.

[wolfcreek]

Two men in the Austin,TX. area were bleaching 1 dollar bills, then using a computer to turn them into 20's. I believe they were Hispanic. No telling how many fake bills are out there. Wonder, if it could have a major effect on the world economy?

[jordan8]

Mr. Garland, leader of the Marxist-Leninist Worker's Party, an arm of the Official Irish Republican Army

The IRA split in the late 1960s into the communistic Officials led by Cathal Goulding and the Provisionals eventually led by Gerry Adams. The Officials denounced violence and became the Marxist-Leninist Worker's Party in the 70s.

[maui_hawaii]

Wanna take bets that this is linked?

[Petey139]

He probably spending the money on his so called prostitute troupe AKA "The Plessure Team"