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♪ ♪

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♪ ♪

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♪ ♪

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♪ ♪

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MARIANA VAN ZELLER:
Every city has its secrets.

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Lima is no different.

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MARIANA: Over the last decade

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a new criminal enterprise
has taken root.

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MARIANA: And a new breed of
gangster craftsman has emerged.

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MARIANA: But how they work and
who they are is a mystery to me,

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and I'm not the only one
looking for them.

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(banging)

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(yelling)

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This footage is from
the Peruvian National Police...

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...who have turned up the heat

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and turned Lima
into the frontlines

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in the war on counterfeiting.

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OFFICER: ¡Policía!

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MARIANA: That's how I landed
here at Lurigancho Prison,

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one of the most dangerous
prisons in all of South America.

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The Peruvian National Police
tipped me off to a counterfeiter

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they recently nabbed, a man
they'd been chasing for years.

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MARIANA: He's wearing a mask
for two reasons:

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He doesn't want to be known
as a snitch in prison,

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and he doesn't want
his young daughter

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to know that he's locked up.

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He's told her that
he's taken a job abroad.

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MARIANA: Incredibly,
it's estimated that 60%

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of all fake U. S. bills
are produced in Peru.

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MARIANA: He says
it was an informant

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that ultimately got him
busted by the police.

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But the hunt for this man

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actually began
3,500 miles north.

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♪ ♪

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Two weeks earlier, I paid
a visit to the Secret Service.

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The agency we associate with
these guys in crisp suits

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protecting the president

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is also in charge
of protecting our money.

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When fakes are detected,
anywhere in the world,

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they're sent here

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for the monetary equivalent
of an autopsy.

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(buzzer)

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I watch as analysts examine each
of the bills' component parts.

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The paper, the ink, the colors.

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Within each fake
hides clues about its origin.

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Telltale markers are discovered.

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The chemical makeup
of a certain ink

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or the density of
a certain paper stock.

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Each bill then gets catalogued,
helping the Secret Service

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identify the world's biggest
players in the counterfeit game.

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AGENT: What happened
in the early 2000s,

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the first Peruvian‐produced
notes started popping up,

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and in Peru there were no
counterfeit laws at the time.

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It just caught everyone by
surprise that it started there.

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MARIANA: This field agent
wants to remain anonymous

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for safety reasons.

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He tells me the agency first
opened a Lima office in 2012

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because the counterfeit scene
was booming.

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AGENT: These guys are artists.

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The workmanship's there,
and the skills are there.

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It's being produced at high
numbers and very high quality.

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NEWSCASTER: Tonight,
the real cost of fake money.

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NEWSCASTER: Officers want
everyone to be on the lookout

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after a batch of bad bills
has turned up in the city.

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NEWSCASTER: Another counterfeit
money bust in Limestone County.

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AGENT: When it comes
to counterfeiting,

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it's pretty much a crime
that hurts everybody.

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From nations' economies,
to businesses,

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to your mom and pop stores.

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Things that are being passed
there are worthless.

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You're at the bank,

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and next thing they look at you
like you're the criminal.

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It's almost like a mugging
that you didn't know happened.

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(man shouting in Spanish)

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MARIANA: We tend to think of
black markets as a world apart,

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but the truth is,
they're all around us,

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hidden in plain sight,

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difficult to see,
until someone lets you in.

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That's especially true

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when tracking this
counterfeiting story in Lima.

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The leads are
literally everywhere.

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Seemingly everyone has been
a victim of fake bills,

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with the walls of some shops
looking like a gallery

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for the city's
criminal artisans.

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In a cash society like Peru,
anywhere money changes hands

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is an opportunity
for a counterfeiter.

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(horn honking)

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And nowhere does more money
change hands than here,

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among Lima's cambistas,
or street‐side money changers.

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Sometimes it's the customer
trying slip fake bills

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to the cambista, and sometimes
it's the other way around.

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FERNANDO LUCENA: The cambistas,
the money exchangers,

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I never go to those.

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You never know what's real
and what's fake.

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It's a very murky world,
put it that way.

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MARIANA: I contact my friend,
Fernando Lucena.

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He's a local investigative
journalist who said

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he could get me in touch with
one of these crooked cambistas.

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The man I'm meeting is akin
to a neighborhood drug dealer.

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He's my entry point
to the underworld.

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I'm hopeful
he might introduce me

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to some of the bigger players
in the game,

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the ones moving millions
in fake bills into the U. S.

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(Mariana speaking Spanish)

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MARIANA: Okay. He doesn't
want his face revealed.

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(laughs)

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MARIANA: He just asked me
if I was a buyer,

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if I was an undercover buyer.

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MARIANA: He's gonna show us

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some of the fake dollars
that he sells.

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MARIANA: This looks
pretty great to me.

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MARIANA: This sounds
like money to me, no?

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MARIANA: Pull the bill out,
turn it over, feel it,

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there's texture,
it's rough and smooth,

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there's a watermark
security thread,

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layers and layers of detail.

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Each element presents a new
challenge for counterfeiters,

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but the better their handiwork,
the more they can charge.

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And the more their services
will be in demand.

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MARIANA: So, touch,
look and turn.

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We all have intimate
relationships to money.

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We chase it, we spend it,
we save it,

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we make big life decisions
because of it,

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and yet it's so common,
I've never really looked at it.

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The best fake bills are
so exquisitely crafted,

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they aren't noticed at all.

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MARIANA: Before
the money changer left,

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he confirmed what the
Secret Service told me in D. C.,

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that once the designs for the
fake bills have been produced,

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there are essentially
three key positions

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in any counterfeiting operation:

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the printer,
who is the master artisan

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in charge of bill production;

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the finisher, who adds
the necessary texture and polish

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to the bills to
make them passable;

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and the burrier,
who transports the fake cash

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out of the country.

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I want to find all three,

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something an outsider
has never done before.

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It's the best way for me
to fully understand

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the inner workings
of this black market

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and the circumstances
and motivations

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of the people who run it.

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(engine revving)

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Enter another of my contacts.

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A local producer
who shares a nickname

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with Peru's national dish,
Ceviche.

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MARIANA: Over the last
several years,

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he's been building connections
in Lima's underworld,

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specifically through
a man we'll call Diego.

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Ceviche tells me that the
counterfeiting racket in Lima

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is run by a handful of families.

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And Diego's gotten tight
with one of them.

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Each of these families controls
underground workshops,

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where old‐school offset printers

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churn out sheet after sheet
of fake bills.

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MARIANA: Criminal organizations
bound by blood

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are notoriously difficult
to penetrate.

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Getting inside one
of these operations,

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especially with cameras,
is next to impossible.

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MARIANA: In this business
there are always risks,

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but I felt okay
with a daytime meeting,

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hopefully somewhere public.

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That is, assuming they call.

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Three hours pass,
and still nothing from Diego.

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(dog barking ringtone)

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<i>MAN: Hello?</i>

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MARIANA: When the adrenaline
kicks in,

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I know things are
about to get good.

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MARIANA: We're on our way
to meet with a gang

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of Peruvian counterfeiters

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in one of the shadier
neighborhoods in Lima.

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(dog barking ringtone)

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MARIANA: At the last minute,
they change the meeting spot.

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MARIANA: They're waiting
for us already.

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With a location change,
we'll be late to the meeting.

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Part of me wonders if these guys

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are looking for an excuse
to bail on us.

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Lima's counterfeiters are
extra skittish these days.

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I would be, too,
if I was being hunted.

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There have been a series
of huge busts recently,

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including one only days
before we arrived

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that intercepted
$5 million in fake bills.

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The Peruvian National Police
gave us this footage.

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It wasn't at all
what I'd expected.

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I'd imagined these
counterfeiting operations

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happening in warehouses
or factories

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in dark corners of the city,

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but much of it seems
to be happening

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in residential neighborhoods.

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On quiet streets,
inside garages,

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hidden in plain sight.

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♪ ♪

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Okay, cameras down.

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For obvious reasons, we couldn't
record this initial meeting,

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00:16:27,278 --> 00:16:29,822
but let me tell you
how it all went down.

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I've been on a lot of these
underworld first dates

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over the last 15 years.

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You never know exactly
what you're walking into.

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At an outdoor cafe,
Diego introduces us to the boss

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and his bodyguard,
who is covered in tattoos.

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00:16:55,473 --> 00:16:59,143
One on his arm reads in English,
"Only God can judge me."

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00:17:02,188 --> 00:17:04,815
The mood is tense, suspicious.

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00:17:07,318 --> 00:17:11,739
As I always do in these
situations, I order beers.

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00:17:15,076 --> 00:17:18,454
Soon after, I'm sharing
my unofficial résumé:

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photos on my phone of me
hanging out with men like these

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00:17:21,874 --> 00:17:24,669
from all around the world.

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00:17:24,669 --> 00:17:27,129
Then, the food arrives.

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00:17:27,129 --> 00:17:28,422
More talk.

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More drinks.

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00:17:29,757 --> 00:17:31,384
I then explain that I've heard

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they're the most talented
counterfeiters in the world.

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00:17:34,595 --> 00:17:38,891
You'd be surprised how many
doors flattery can open.

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I knew I'd passed the test

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when the bodyguard
gave me a nickname.

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He pointed at me
from across the table

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and said, "Mi reina,"

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00:17:46,315 --> 00:17:50,486
my queen, "you're gonna see
amazing things tomorrow night."

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00:18:04,375 --> 00:18:07,336
In any city, there are people
who play by the rules

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00:18:07,336 --> 00:18:09,046
and people who don't.

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(echoing laughter)

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00:18:11,799 --> 00:18:14,594
Usually it's hard
to tell the difference.

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Finding my way into
the criminal underworld

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00:18:17,597 --> 00:18:20,516
is always an adventure.

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That's why I love what I do.

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It's also knowing
that once you're in,

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you get to witness what
very few outsiders ever do.

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A universe governed by its own
laws and power structures

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that teaches us a whole lot
about our own.

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MARIANA: Okay, let's do this.

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00:19:01,265 --> 00:19:17,323
(man speaking Spanish
over loudspeaker)

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00:19:21,243 --> 00:19:22,912
MARIANA: Game time.

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00:19:22,912 --> 00:19:32,755
♪ ♪

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MARIANA: Okay.

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MARIANA: In Peru,
like many places

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in Central and South America,

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"gringos" is synonymous
with Americans.

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In this case, the counterfeiters
are on guard

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that any gringos could be
Secret Service agents

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trying to infiltrate
their operation.

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CEVICHE: Hello?

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00:20:41,866 --> 00:20:45,202
MARIANA: They've told us to meet
them here at a downtown park.

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Ironically, only blocks
from the Palace of Justice.

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Somewhere in these
surrounding buildings

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fake money is being made.

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They've set two rules:

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00:21:01,260 --> 00:21:04,346
Only the crew they met with
are allowed inside;

248
00:21:04,346 --> 00:21:07,683
and once inside,
we stay the entire shift,

249
00:21:07,683 --> 00:21:10,060
from 8:00 PM to 8:00 AM.

250
00:21:10,060 --> 00:21:11,729
No one leaves.

251
00:21:16,734 --> 00:21:19,403
I imagine it's a rush to see
your net worth growing

252
00:21:19,403 --> 00:21:23,324
with every new sheet of bills
coming off the press.

253
00:21:23,324 --> 00:21:25,743
You could print yourself
out of debt

254
00:21:25,743 --> 00:21:29,163
or into a new car
or a new house.

255
00:21:29,163 --> 00:21:32,583
It's not hard to see the allure

256
00:21:32,583 --> 00:21:34,335
or the desperation

257
00:21:34,335 --> 00:21:36,921
that would cause someone
to enter this line of work.

258
00:21:39,840 --> 00:21:44,345
One hour,
no call back from Diego.

259
00:21:44,345 --> 00:21:47,681
Two hours, Diego's phone is off.

260
00:22:02,446 --> 00:22:04,740
MARIANA: Things aren't
looking good.

261
00:22:04,740 --> 00:22:16,460
♪ ♪

262
00:22:16,460 --> 00:22:18,003
It's been over three hours

263
00:22:18,003 --> 00:22:19,755
and they still,
they haven't shown up.

264
00:22:19,755 --> 00:22:23,342
I think it's pretty safe to say
that we've been stood up.

265
00:22:25,636 --> 00:22:27,930
No chance this is
going to happen tonight.

266
00:22:38,482 --> 00:22:40,693
MARIANA: There's nothing worse
than getting this close

267
00:22:40,693 --> 00:22:44,113
and not coming home
with a story.

268
00:22:44,113 --> 00:22:46,156
But giving up isn't an option.

269
00:22:48,325 --> 00:22:51,579
They're still out there,
and I'm going to find them.

270
00:22:56,709 --> 00:23:05,593
♪ ♪

271
00:23:05,593 --> 00:23:07,761
MARIANA: Stories go cold.

272
00:23:07,761 --> 00:23:10,222
Sometimes you can't explain it.

273
00:23:10,222 --> 00:23:13,100
You make a connection,
you make plans,

274
00:23:13,100 --> 00:23:15,603
things seem to be
falling into place,

275
00:23:15,603 --> 00:23:18,188
and then you find yourself
staring at your phone

276
00:23:18,188 --> 00:23:21,233
for a call that never comes.

277
00:23:21,233 --> 00:23:22,484
In these moments,

278
00:23:22,484 --> 00:23:26,030
I always remind myself
that nothing's changed.

279
00:23:26,030 --> 00:23:28,282
The story is still out there.

280
00:23:28,282 --> 00:23:31,160
Somewhere in the city,
offset printing machines

281
00:23:31,160 --> 00:23:34,580
are churning out sheet
after sheet of fake dollars.

282
00:23:39,043 --> 00:23:41,170
MARIANA: I just need
to find a new way in.

283
00:23:56,518 --> 00:23:59,480
MARIANA: Nothing happens
as fast as you want it to.

284
00:23:59,480 --> 00:24:01,190
This isn't the safest
neighborhood,

285
00:24:01,190 --> 00:24:04,443
so we should try to avoid
showing off our cameras.

286
00:24:04,443 --> 00:24:07,112
But I have faith that
another door will open.

287
00:24:16,205 --> 00:24:17,998
MARIANA: They were definitely,
like, sussing us out.

288
00:24:32,054 --> 00:24:33,722
MARIANA: Until I can find
some of these counterfeiters

289
00:24:33,722 --> 00:24:35,599
in the wild,

290
00:24:35,599 --> 00:24:38,352
I lean on the contacts
I've already made.

291
00:26:00,225 --> 00:26:01,852
MARIANA: So, he's showing us
how he works.

292
00:26:10,360 --> 00:26:11,904
MARIANA: El fantasma.
The watermark.

293
00:28:29,750 --> 00:28:31,585
FERNANDO: Okay, seems that
everything is in place.

294
00:28:31,585 --> 00:28:35,464
MARIANA: Yeah?
FERNANDO: So far, so good.

295
00:28:35,464 --> 00:28:38,300
MARIANA: Fingers crossed.

296
00:28:38,300 --> 00:28:39,760
It's 5:00 AM.

297
00:28:39,760 --> 00:28:43,138
And my initial contact in Lima,
Fernando, has a new lead

298
00:28:43,138 --> 00:28:46,308
on a printer who seems
willing to meet with us.

299
00:28:46,308 --> 00:28:49,937
We got this meeting set up
in a legal printing operation

300
00:28:49,937 --> 00:28:53,482
where we're going to meet a guy
who is supposedly an ink master

301
00:28:53,482 --> 00:28:56,401
and finally see what these
printing operations look like.

302
00:29:02,532 --> 00:29:04,242
What can and can't we do?

303
00:29:04,242 --> 00:29:06,703
FERNANDO: What he's told me
is basically keep the team

304
00:29:06,703 --> 00:29:08,872
as small as possible.

305
00:29:08,872 --> 00:29:11,625
Don't call his name
in front of anyone.

306
00:29:11,625 --> 00:29:13,919
Just keep it low key.

307
00:29:17,673 --> 00:29:19,299
MARIANA: We just want to
actually be absolutely sure

308
00:29:19,299 --> 00:29:20,717
that we play by their rules,

309
00:29:20,717 --> 00:29:24,429
because we want to be able
to get this in the bag.

310
00:29:28,058 --> 00:29:30,143
Everybody's anxious and nervous

311
00:29:30,143 --> 00:29:34,564
and hoping that this is, that
this will all go as planned.

312
00:29:37,484 --> 00:29:39,528
We park outside a shopping mall

313
00:29:39,528 --> 00:29:41,738
and wait for word
from our contact.

314
00:29:44,700 --> 00:29:47,160
Okay, there are
two guys walking.

315
00:29:47,160 --> 00:29:48,161
Is that him?

316
00:29:48,161 --> 00:29:49,496
FERNANDO: Yeah, that's him.

317
00:29:49,496 --> 00:29:52,582
MARIANA: Right?
Like, he just came out.

318
00:29:52,582 --> 00:29:54,084
MAN: Fred, be careful.

319
00:29:54,084 --> 00:29:56,503
MARIANA: Yeah, Fred,
if he sees you, we're (bleep).

320
00:29:56,503 --> 00:30:02,050
♪ ♪

321
00:30:02,050 --> 00:30:04,094
Okay. He's here.

322
00:30:04,094 --> 00:30:05,804
Okay. Let's go, guys.

323
00:30:05,804 --> 00:30:19,651
♪ ♪

324
00:30:42,466 --> 00:30:43,842
MARIANA: This is it?

325
00:30:47,596 --> 00:30:50,098
Wow. This is incredible.

326
00:30:50,098 --> 00:30:52,059
And they're just
printing fake money.

327
00:31:04,237 --> 00:31:08,283
MARIANA: It's early morning
in Lima,

328
00:31:08,283 --> 00:31:12,120
and the smell of fresh ink
is in the air.

329
00:31:12,120 --> 00:31:13,789
I found my way to a printer

330
00:31:13,789 --> 00:31:17,542
who specializes in
counterfeit U. S. dollars.

331
00:31:17,542 --> 00:31:21,922
It's like no underworld scene
I've accessed before.

332
00:31:21,922 --> 00:31:27,177
It's so out in the open, that
I'm actually nervous for them.

333
00:31:27,177 --> 00:31:29,221
Wow, this is incredible.
This is amazing.

334
00:31:29,221 --> 00:31:31,181
I mean, we're in
a printing mall.

335
00:31:31,181 --> 00:31:33,558
It's too early,
so all the shops are closed.

336
00:31:33,558 --> 00:31:36,603
So it's this surreal scene where
we walked down these corridors,

337
00:31:36,603 --> 00:31:37,938
and everything was closed

338
00:31:37,938 --> 00:31:39,815
and then suddenly there's
a bright light here,

339
00:31:39,815 --> 00:31:41,733
and they're just
printing fake money.

340
00:31:56,706 --> 00:31:58,583
MARIANA: Printing is
the most daring aspect

341
00:31:58,583 --> 00:32:00,627
of fake note production.

342
00:32:00,627 --> 00:32:02,671
It's loud, it's long,

343
00:32:02,671 --> 00:32:05,924
and it's often done in
public locations like this.

344
00:32:05,924 --> 00:32:08,468
It's also very difficult.

345
00:32:08,468 --> 00:32:11,263
It takes years to learn
the secrets of this trade.

346
00:32:11,263 --> 00:32:13,849
The inks. The paper.
The machine.

347
00:32:13,849 --> 00:32:18,478
The process of forging bills
is equal parts art and science.

348
00:32:18,478 --> 00:32:21,523
Very few have the right
combination of talents.

349
00:32:31,158 --> 00:32:33,493
MARIANA: This is the beginning
of everything they do here.

350
00:32:33,493 --> 00:32:35,745
Every single hundred‐dollar bill
that's done here

351
00:32:35,745 --> 00:32:38,165
starts with this metal plate.

352
00:32:38,165 --> 00:32:39,749
And it's essentially
the watermark.

353
00:32:39,749 --> 00:32:42,377
La, el fantasma?

354
00:32:42,377 --> 00:32:45,130
These plates are made
by coveted designers

355
00:32:45,130 --> 00:32:47,257
and are critical
to the whole operation.

356
00:33:02,022 --> 00:33:03,648
MARIANA: Check this out.

357
00:33:03,648 --> 00:33:05,442
All the bills coming out.

358
00:33:11,531 --> 00:33:13,533
MARIANA: Ah, the second part
is the off‐white color

359
00:33:13,533 --> 00:33:14,659
of every banknote.

360
00:33:33,261 --> 00:33:35,639
MARIANA: Wow. That is crazy.

361
00:33:35,639 --> 00:33:38,350
So the whole process
takes a month and a half.

362
00:33:52,614 --> 00:33:54,366
MARIANA: Holy (bleep),
that's a ton of money.

363
00:33:54,366 --> 00:33:55,992
That is crazy.

364
00:33:55,992 --> 00:33:58,370
They can make $6 million
with a machine

365
00:33:58,370 --> 00:34:01,206
that costs them
$7,000 to buy here.

366
00:34:18,223 --> 00:34:19,266
MARIANA: The later it gets,

367
00:34:19,266 --> 00:34:21,434
the more nervous
the printer becomes.

368
00:34:21,434 --> 00:34:25,480
We can hear other shops opening,
voices echoing down the hallway.

369
00:34:39,661 --> 00:34:40,787
MARIANA: The mood
totally changed,

370
00:34:40,787 --> 00:34:42,455
and they're super nervous,

371
00:34:42,455 --> 00:34:45,041
because you can see
the hundred‐dollar bills here,

372
00:34:45,041 --> 00:34:46,418
the metal plate,

373
00:34:46,418 --> 00:34:48,295
and so they wanna do this
process really fast.

374
00:34:55,969 --> 00:34:57,804
MARIANA: Wow. Check this out.

375
00:35:00,807 --> 00:35:01,891
This is amazing.

376
00:35:01,891 --> 00:35:03,351
(Mariana speaking Spanish)

377
00:35:03,351 --> 00:35:04,853
We've got the watermark,

378
00:35:04,853 --> 00:35:06,313
the background color
of the banknote,

379
00:35:06,313 --> 00:35:10,233
and now Franklin's face.

380
00:35:10,233 --> 00:35:12,027
Yeah, okay.
(man speaking Spanish)

381
00:35:12,027 --> 00:35:14,029
He's hiding everything.

382
00:35:14,029 --> 00:35:16,573
They heard that there's somebody
walking down the corridors.

383
00:35:19,200 --> 00:35:20,452
MARIANA: We have to go.

384
00:35:23,788 --> 00:35:25,373
As we head for our van,

385
00:35:25,373 --> 00:35:28,793
it hits me that what surprised
me most about the printer

386
00:35:28,793 --> 00:35:32,339
is something that also
surprised me about the prisoner.

387
00:35:32,339 --> 00:35:34,299
They were both conflicted
about their decision

388
00:35:34,299 --> 00:35:36,426
to get into counterfeiting,

389
00:35:36,426 --> 00:35:39,679
but both realized that
perfecting their craft

390
00:35:39,679 --> 00:35:42,390
was the best way
to stay in demand.

391
00:36:12,712 --> 00:36:22,472
♪ ♪

392
00:36:22,472 --> 00:36:24,307
MARIANA: Once the bills
come off the printer,

393
00:36:24,307 --> 00:36:28,687
there's still work to be done
to make a convincing fake.

394
00:36:28,687 --> 00:36:30,188
Fernando is able to locate

395
00:36:30,188 --> 00:36:33,108
another of Peru's finest
underworld artisans:

396
00:36:33,108 --> 00:36:35,026
the finisher.

397
00:36:35,026 --> 00:36:37,987
His role is to add texture
and weight to the bills

398
00:36:37,987 --> 00:36:42,701
so they will pass
the touch, look and turn test.

399
00:36:42,701 --> 00:36:44,577
We're driving
to Villa El Salvador

400
00:36:44,577 --> 00:36:47,580
on the south side of Lima.

401
00:36:47,580 --> 00:36:52,585
An area that locals describe
as "picante," meaning hot;

402
00:36:52,585 --> 00:36:56,464
hot with every criminal
enterprise you can imagine.

403
00:36:56,464 --> 00:36:57,507
(barking)

404
00:36:59,342 --> 00:37:02,887
FERNANDO: Because the murder
rate is not particularly low.

405
00:37:08,768 --> 00:37:09,936
MARIANA: Is that him?

406
00:37:09,936 --> 00:37:12,063
Just keep the camera up
and rolling.

407
00:37:37,046 --> 00:37:38,590
MARIANA: He's going to show us
the stuff that he just got.

408
00:37:40,091 --> 00:37:41,634
MARIANA: So it's a sponge,
a regular.

409
00:37:44,763 --> 00:37:48,391
MARIANA: Oh, this is for
cutting the notes,

410
00:37:48,391 --> 00:37:50,268
to make a straight cut.

411
00:38:18,838 --> 00:38:20,799
MARIANA: The U. S. spends
millions and millions

412
00:38:20,799 --> 00:38:24,344
of real dollars
to deter counterfeiting,

413
00:38:24,344 --> 00:38:28,473
and these counterfeiters get
around it with school supplies.

414
00:38:31,643 --> 00:38:34,103
In an effort to look
less conspicuous,

415
00:38:34,103 --> 00:38:36,648
we plan to meet back up
in his workshop.

416
00:38:44,072 --> 00:38:45,990
(dog barking)

417
00:38:48,576 --> 00:38:50,995
We sneak in our cameras in bags.

418
00:38:50,995 --> 00:38:57,627
♪ ♪

419
00:38:57,627 --> 00:38:59,462
I wonder if his neighbors
have any idea

420
00:38:59,462 --> 00:39:01,631
what's happening
inside this room.

421
00:39:04,968 --> 00:39:06,761
If they only knew.

422
00:39:13,226 --> 00:39:14,394
MARIANA: My search
for the makers

423
00:39:14,394 --> 00:39:17,188
of the finest counterfeit bills
in the world

424
00:39:17,188 --> 00:39:19,232
has brought me to this
working‐class neighborhood

425
00:39:19,232 --> 00:39:20,984
outside of Lima.

426
00:39:26,823 --> 00:39:29,033
And to this man.

427
00:39:29,033 --> 00:39:30,618
They call him "the finisher,"

428
00:39:30,618 --> 00:39:32,871
and his skills
are in high demand.

429
00:39:51,764 --> 00:39:55,184
MARIANA: It's a painstaking
process all done by hand.

430
00:39:58,438 --> 00:40:01,858
With a popsicle stick he applies
glue for weight and texture.

431
00:40:15,830 --> 00:40:17,373
MARIANA: To get the feel
just right,

432
00:40:17,373 --> 00:40:20,209
he adds what he calls
English cornstarch.

433
00:40:23,212 --> 00:40:24,797
MARIANA: Which
I recognize instantly.

434
00:40:56,454 --> 00:40:58,665
MARIANA: You can really feel
the texture, it's changed.

435
00:40:58,665 --> 00:41:00,625
It's amazing.

436
00:41:00,625 --> 00:41:03,795
He says he also works on
100s and 50s,

437
00:41:03,795 --> 00:41:08,341
but 20s are easier to fake
and much less scrutinized.

438
00:41:08,341 --> 00:41:11,302
With just a few items you can
get at any corner store

439
00:41:11,302 --> 00:41:13,304
and a whole lot of patience,

440
00:41:13,304 --> 00:41:16,391
the touch, sound and smell
of the bills

441
00:41:16,391 --> 00:41:18,351
are totally convincing.

442
00:41:20,979 --> 00:41:22,772
(siren)

443
00:41:27,777 --> 00:41:28,403
FINISHER: No.

444
00:42:34,761 --> 00:42:36,554
MARIANA: It's always
fascinating to me

445
00:42:36,554 --> 00:42:39,140
how people end up working
in black markets.

446
00:42:39,140 --> 00:42:41,100
In many ways, counterfeiting

447
00:42:41,100 --> 00:42:44,979
is just another
crime of opportunity.

448
00:42:44,979 --> 00:42:48,441
A driver by day discovers he has
the extraordinary patience

449
00:42:48,441 --> 00:42:52,653
and craftsmanship
to finish bills by night.

450
00:42:52,653 --> 00:42:55,782
A printer specializing in
calendars and business cards

451
00:42:55,782 --> 00:42:59,243
realizes he can deploy
the same machines and skills

452
00:42:59,243 --> 00:43:04,248
to produce stacks and stacks
of fake bills.

453
00:43:04,248 --> 00:43:05,708
But all the time and work

454
00:43:05,708 --> 00:43:09,462
that goes into making
a convincing fake is worthless

455
00:43:09,462 --> 00:43:12,465
if those bills don't reach
the legal economy.

456
00:43:14,550 --> 00:43:16,969
And that's where
this man comes in.

457
00:43:16,969 --> 00:43:18,763
They call him "the burrier,"

458
00:43:18,763 --> 00:43:21,974
a Peruvian mash‐up formed
from the Spanish word "burro,"

459
00:43:21,974 --> 00:43:24,519
meaning donkey,
and the word "courier."

460
00:44:47,977 --> 00:44:50,479
MARIANA: Counterfeiting networks
know that some portion

461
00:44:50,479 --> 00:44:52,899
of their shipments
will be confiscated.

462
00:44:52,899 --> 00:44:56,861
So, they employ an army of ants
who transport fake bills

463
00:44:56,861 --> 00:45:01,199
into the U. S. by airplane,
by car, by boat, on foot,

464
00:45:01,199 --> 00:45:04,118
they even ship fake bills
through the mail.

465
00:45:04,118 --> 00:45:08,539
But getting these fake bills
into the country isn't enough.

466
00:45:08,539 --> 00:45:11,792
They need to get them
into circulation.

467
00:45:11,792 --> 00:45:14,879
The counterfeiting game is
all about getting change.

468
00:45:17,548 --> 00:45:19,550
AGENT: What you might do is
hit different shopping centers.

469
00:45:19,550 --> 00:45:21,052
Going down a highway corridor,

470
00:45:21,052 --> 00:45:22,553
you could hit malls
on the north side of town

471
00:45:22,553 --> 00:45:24,555
and malls on
the south side of town,

472
00:45:24,555 --> 00:45:27,058
one fast food place,
one convenience store,

473
00:45:27,058 --> 00:45:30,895
you spend, you know, $8, $9,
and then you pay with the 100,

474
00:45:30,895 --> 00:45:32,438
and that means
you're coming back with,

475
00:45:32,438 --> 00:45:34,315
you know, 90‐some dollars
of genuine.

476
00:45:34,315 --> 00:45:36,400
MARIANA: Of real money?
AGENT: Yeah.

477
00:45:36,400 --> 00:45:38,027
AGENT: You could, you know,
pocket a thousand dollars

478
00:45:38,027 --> 00:45:40,738
by the end of the day, and
you're not really doing much.

479
00:45:40,738 --> 00:45:43,032
It's like an ATM
that doesn't belong to you.

480
00:45:47,119 --> 00:45:51,582
MARIANA: When counterfeiters
do get busted,

481
00:45:51,582 --> 00:45:55,544
their stash of fake bills
gets sent to the Secret Service

482
00:45:55,544 --> 00:45:59,715
where they are examined,
catalogued, used in prosecution,

483
00:45:59,715 --> 00:46:01,801
and then destroyed.

484
00:46:04,679 --> 00:46:08,641
Some of these fake bills
are probably from Peru.

485
00:46:08,641 --> 00:46:11,602
Maybe they even passed through
the hands of the guys I met.

486
00:46:15,439 --> 00:46:18,651
MARIANA: But even if
the Lima scene is shut down,

487
00:46:18,651 --> 00:46:20,319
there will be others.

488
00:46:45,720 --> 00:46:47,513
MARIANA: Nadie, nadie.
Nobody's coming.

489
00:46:54,228 --> 00:46:57,732
MARIANA: It's an old con
and an old truth:

490
00:46:57,732 --> 00:47:00,651
If you're desperate enough
to make some money,

491
00:47:00,651 --> 00:47:05,281
one option is
to make some money.

492
00:47:05,281 --> 00:47:06,907
Captioned by
Side Door Media Services