Suspect from Cebu nabbed, counterfeit money syndicate uncovered

CEBU, Philippines - A syndicate selling counterfeit money was uncovered following the arrest yesterday of a suspected member allegedly in possession of 19 pieces of fake P1000 bills.

The arrested suspect was identified as Bell Caballero Fuentes, 40, who was from Barangay Panadtaran in Argao town of Cebu.

Fuentes was arrested near the seaport in Sibulan town by operatives of the Sibulan Police, headed by Insp. Desiree Saguilabon, together with the complainant, a doughnut vendor, Paul John Villaflores.

According to Villaflores, the suspect approached him to buy a box of doughnut at P180. Fuentes gave him a P1,000 bill but then he found out later that the money was fake. The vendor immediately sought police assistance while the suspect tried to escape.

Fuentes, in an interview with The Freeman, admitted that counterfeit P1,000 bills usually find their way to different cockpits in Negros Oriental and even in Bacolod City. 

Saquilabon, however, said fake money are found in many places although there were many instances that these can easily be circulated in the cockpits, like what happened during one of the derbies in Sibulan last December.

Fuentes said he was introduced by a friend, he earlier met twice at Garloc cockpit in Cebu City, to a place in Carbon of Cebu City where these P1,000 fake bills can be bought for P400. He said that, when he is in the area of the Carbon Market, somebody will just approach him to facilitate the transaction.

At the time of his arrest, Fuentes would have circulated the fake P1,000 bills in Tanjay City. 

Meanwhile, charges of violating provisions of Section 168 of the Revised Penal Code were readied against him by the authorities. (FREEMAN)