Korean, 9 caught defying Nueva Ecija lockdown had fake currency

Lt. Col. Alexie Desamito, Talavera police chief, examines the gold metal plates and counterfeit dollar notes recovered from the suspects. Photos by Armand Galang

TALAVERA, Nueva Ecija –– A Korean businessman and eight other passengers of a van that was stopped at a checkpoint on Wednesday (May 13) for traveling without permits, were carrying fake dollar bills and materials used for making counterfeit currency, the police said on Friday (May 15).

The group was packed together in a white Toyota Grandia van and failed to show travel passes when accosted by the police at the Bagong Silang checkpoint.

The Talavera police detained Joseph Kim, 55, who is a Santiago City resident; sisters Rosemarie Yap, 53, and Felt, 55, both from Sto. Tomas town in Pampanga; Christopher Francisco, 43, of Bacolor town, also in Pampanga; and Butch Dayrit, 55, from Pampanga’s Mabalacat City.

Also arrested were King George Apiado, 42, from Angeles City in Pampanga; brothers Wilfredo Agdeppa, 37, and Oliver, 43, both from Nueva Ecija; and Aladdin Abian, 44, from Puerto Princesa City in Palawan.

But after further inspection, the police found bills of different denominations, two bags of blank dollar notes, and powder and gold metal plates reportedly used in producing counterfeit dollars, according to Lt. Col. Alexie Desamito, Talavera police chief.

The items were brought to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Currency Issue and Integrity Office in Quezon City for technical examination.

“They issued us a certification that the gold dollar plate is fictitious and the rest of the dollar bills are counterfeit,” Desamito said.

Abian, the suspect from Palawan, said what the police seized was his “collection,” which he allegedly inherited.

Interviewed by local newsmen, Kim insisted that he could not understand their questions.

LZB