Peru is the number one producer of counterfeit US dollars in the world. In 2015, just over 16 million forged bills seized in the US were of Peruvian origin, according to the US Secret Service. Millions of counterfeit euros and Peruvian soles have also been seized by police in Peru.
The forged dollars are finished by hand, giving them an exceptional quality which has earned the country its top spot as leader of this illicit global trade. And for the criminal gangs counterfeit money is cheaper to produce than cocaine.
Videos by VICE
Fernando Lucena goes undercover for VICE News to expose the illegal trade in counterfeit money and gets rare access to the criminal forgers who show us how these bills are made.
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