The National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) in Ghana has arrested 16 people for allegedly operating counterfeit-currency syndicates in the Greater Accra Region. The syndicates used religious and administrative premises to print and store large quantities of fake local and foreign currencies. The NSCS recovered substantial amounts of counterfeit notes, including $543,000, GH¢196,600, and CFA 60,000, ready for circulation.
The security agency conducted several operations between June 12 and July 24, 2026, targeting networks involved in the large-scale production, possession, and distribution of counterfeit currencies. These operations followed months of covert intelligence gathering into reports of counterfeit currency entering commercial hubs, foreign exchange markets, and financial networks.
In one operation, seven suspects – three Ghanaians and four foreign nationals – were arrested, and $65,900 in counterfeit notes and three vehicles were seized. At Amuzu, a suburb of Kasoa, operatives arrested one suspect and seized a currency printing machine, fake gold bars, mobile phones, and large quantities of counterfeit currency.
Five suspects were arrested during an operation in Lashibi and Klagon, where investigators discovered printing equipment and a storage facility containing large quantities of counterfeit materials. Another operation at Lakeside Estate resulted in the arrest of a suspected distributor and the seizure of five boxes of counterfeit GH¢200 notes with an estimated face value of GH¢12.42 million, along with two motorcycles.
The NSCS revealed that the operations led to the seizure of four counterfeit-currency printing machines, six vehicles, and two motorcycles allegedly used by the syndicates. The agency said all 16 suspects had been remanded into state custody and that case dockets had been submitted to the Office of the Attorney-General and Ministry of Justice.
Formal prosecution proceedings are ongoing at the Accra High Court, while security agencies continue efforts to locate other suspects identified during the investigations. The NSCS said prosecutors had also begun processes to seek the forfeiture of vehicles, printing equipment, and mobile devices allegedly used in the operations.
The agency urged financial institutions, property owners, and administrators of religious facilities to remain vigilant and report suspicious high-volume printing activities and unusual foreign-currency transactions to the security agencies.
Key points
- The NSCS arrested 16 people for operating counterfeit-currency syndicates in Ghana's Greater Accra Region.
- The operations resulted in the seizure of millions in fake local and foreign currencies and several vehicles and printing machines.
- The suspects have been remanded into state custody, and formal prosecution proceedings are ongoing.
