Three men jailed in Tashkent for using counterfeit dollars

During the trial, one of the defendants said he came across an advertisement for counterfeit money on Instagram.

“I followed the link, and they added me to a Telegram channel. It turned out they were selling different banknotes as souvenirs. I got curious and bought $900. They sent me a location, I went there and picked it up. My brother works in car sales and asked to borrow money. I gave him the counterfeit bills – the souvenir notes. I told him: ‘Don’t use them, just put them somewhere’,” he testified.

The second suspect was detained near the Palace of Friendship of Peoples in Tashkent. He told law enforcement officers that he had not bought the counterfeit money to resell or exchange it, but only for “personal use”. Nevertheless, he had paid $319 in real money for the fake bills.

Case materials state that one of the defendants lent counterfeit money to others, while another used it to buy goods at a pharmacy and a grocery store.

The court found the defendants guilty under paragraphs “a” and “v” of part 2, article 176 of the Criminal Code of Uzbekistan (manufacture or distribution of counterfeit money, excise stamps or securities). One was sentenced to 6 years in prison, and the other two received 5-year prison terms.