The Customs seized one collection of coins and banknotes of outstanding historical value valued at more than US$ 120.000What was I trying to be? entered from Uruguay clandestinely by two Argentine citizens, in the control of a vessel from Colonia, Uruguay.
The procedure consisted of a vehicle control at the landing of the Superferry Express. The inspection, which included the participation of a customs dog, focused on a Chevrolet brand vehicle.
In a statement, the body that runs Guillermo Michel informed that, prior to the arrival of the ship, it had received a interpol alert since the referred citizen had ongoing three criminal cases.
For its part, Customs verified that it had received, months ago, an electronic legal document related to the same person. He himself was framed in the Cultural Assets Law (Law No. 25,743), precisely for issues related to the importation of numismatic pieces.
For this reason, the customs agents planned to examine the couple’s vehicle in particular, which was initially denied having assets to declare. Likewise, Customs personnel proceeded to check the trunk with the support of the dogwho immediately behaved as if he were in the presence of drugs and/or currency.
Given this, the inspectors carried out a more exhaustive control of the luggage, which resulted in the discovery of a copious amount of banknotes and coins from different countries of the world. Later, they found more collectibles in the vehicle spare wheel space. Given the discovery, the passengers confirmed that, indeed, the merchandise found was their property.
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Customs immediately seized the discovered merchandise, since everything indicated that it greatly exceeded both the allowance contemplated in the baggage regime for income by river (US$300 per person) and the currency entry limit (US$10 thousand per person).
Indeed, given its large quantity and diversity, the verification and appraisal of the merchandise is still in process, but the value of what has been surveyed so far exceeds US$ 120,000.
Subsequently, the Economic Criminal Justice was notified, which ordered, in addition to the seizure of the merchandise, to take photographic samples of the bills and coins, ensuring that their serial numbers were visible, to take fingerprints and report background information on those involved and, finally, both order the prohibition of their exit from the country.
The seized material, in effect, remained under the protection of Customs, which disposed of it in eight cardboard boxes duly closed and signed. Up to now, five.
Historical banknotes and coins
According to what was reported, the operation ended in the seizure of a large number of pieces of notable historical value, such as a series of Ukrainian and German banknotes dating from the years of the WWIIwhich were used in the concentration camps of the nazi regime.
One of the bills carried inscriptions that, translated into Spanish, indicate: “This voucher is only valid as a means of payment for prisoners of war and it can only be spent and received by them within the prisoner of war camp or in the case of working days in the purchasing offices expressly designated for that purpose. It can only be exchanged for legal tender at the corresponding warehouse management office. Violators, imitations and counterfeits will be penalized. Chief of the Supreme Command of the Wehrmacht”.
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On the other hand, specialists in numismatics from Customs have identified several pieces of high value: with nearly half of the collection surveyed, the one with the highest value is a Puerto Rican $5 bill from 1909, whose value amounts to impressive sum of US$ 1,750. One of 1 francs was also found, from the island of Martinique (from the year 1947), valued at US$ 1,100. In turn, a Chilean 1 peso bill from 1879 is worth no less than US$1,000.
Secondly, two conspicuously denominated 1862 US bills, $1.25 and $1.50, They are listed at $750 and $850, respectively.
Coins dating back to the Century XVIII. Issued in 1785, they belong to the reign of Louis XVI, who shortly after would be overthrown by the French revolution and executed. Likewise, the oldest is one from the kingdom of France dating from 1226-1270, when the crown was in the hands of Louis IX
ED
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