Douala Gendarmes Seize Over €23,000 in Counterfeit Notes in Currency Fraud Bust

The counterfeit notes, all bearing the same serial number, were found hidden in a suitcase belonging to a woman who had returned from France on May 6. Upon arrival, she allegedly contacted her cousin to help introduce the fake currency into local circulation.

According to Chief Warrant Officer Yannick Willy Nkinda, commander of the Nylon brigade, the women were apprehended before the money could be distributed. They are currently under investigation and will be formally charged in the coming days.

The arrest follows a recent warning from Finance Minister Louis Paul Motaze, who highlighted the growing risk posed by unauthorized currency exchange operations in Cameroon. In a ministerial note, he emphasized that such informal practices facilitate the spread of counterfeit money and expose participants to money laundering charges.

This incident also comes just two months after a separate seizure of nearly 100 million FCFA in fake currency, also in Douala — raising further alarms over the city’s role as a hotspot for currency fraud.