100 Mile House RCMP is warning the public to keep an eye out for counterfeit currency following two seizures of counterfeit bills this week.

RCMP officers responded to a mischief complaint Tuesday in Centennial Park where officers identified a man who was supposed to be under a 24-hour court-ordered curfew. When they arrested him, they found a “substantive amount of a controlled substance suspected to be cocaine,” Staff-Sgt. Svend Nielsen said. They also found was what appeared to be a large amount of Canadian currency.

Nielsen said upon closer inspection, the officer noticed that some of the currency was counterfeit. There was foreign writing on the $50 and $100 bills and they were made out of paper, not plastic. Such fake currency has been found across the country in recent years, Nielsen said, adding that this type of counterfeit does not include the protective elements found on the money coming from the Bank of Canada.

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“The suspect male was also found with a quantity of real Canadian currency in his possession, $550 dollars in $50 and $100 bills,” Nielsen said. “It would be very simple for someone to present a real bill on top of the fake one and have the cashier believe it is two real $100 bills.”

The RCMP are recommending businesses check each bill they receive prior to accepting them for payment. Officers also found other samples of these counterfeit bills earlier this week.

Nielsen said the man arrested in Centennial Park remains in custody while waiting to appear in court. Anyone with information is asked to call 250-395-2456.

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