Hundreds of thousands of dollars in fake money seized by Chicago CBP

CHICAGO - Between May 15 and May 17, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized 24 packages at Chicago's International Mail Facility containing counterfeit currency totaling $685,000.

All of the packages were shipped from China and headed to various cities throughout the US, including cities in Illinois and Indiana, officials said.

Counterfeit currency seized by Chicago CBP

The packages were documented as "bar prop" and even though the counterfeit cash was going to be used as prop money, it is still a violation of federal law to reproduce currency, officials said.

The fake money was in the form of $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100 bills.

Counterfeit currency seized by Chicago CBP

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The counterfeit cash was turned over to Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Secret Service for further investigation.

"Our CBP officers are always on the alert watching for any type of prohibited shipments that come through the IMF," Area Port Director-Chicago Shane Campbell said in a statement. "By stopping these shipments we are protecting our financial institutions, businesses and the public."