Cameroon: a major counterfeiting network dismantled in Douala

This operation resulted in the discovery of a genuine underground currency factory hidden in the third district of the economic capital, as well as the arrest of five suspects, including three Chinese nationals and two Cameroonians.

According to the official report of the operation broadcasted on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, by the television channel Équinoxe TV, the investigation was initially triggered by precise intelligence. This information indicated the presence of a suspicious individual attempting to sell counterfeit coins in the commercial circuit of Douala 1.

The intense questioning of this first suspect allowed the gendarmes to quickly trace the network, apprehend a second accomplice, and ultimately identify the logistical mastermind behind the organization, a Chinese national identified as the mastermind of the manufacturing process.

A counterfeiting factory hidden under industrial cover

The prefect of the Wouri department, Sylyac Marie Mvogo, immediately went to the site of the search to witness the extent of the operation. The counterfeiters had set up an ingenious cover to deceive the vigilance of the authorities and the neighborhood.

On the surface, the structure appeared to be a factory specializing in the production of coatings for construction materials. However, once inside, law enforcement discovered an illegal industrial production line entirely dedicated to reproducing currency.

The modus operandi of the counterfeiters demonstrated particularly advanced technical skills. The network used smuggled nickel to mass-produce 500 CFA franc coins. High-precision electronic scales were employed to ensure that each counterfeit coin had a weight rigorously identical to that of authentic coins.

To deceive the general public and merchants, the suspects used a rotary polishing system equipped with stones to polish the coins, thus giving them the patina, appearance, and natural wear of currency that had already been in circulation.

A record seizure of millions of CFA francs in blank coins

The searches resulted in an impressive material haul. The national gendarmerie seized nearly 200 boxes stored in the underground factory. Each box contained about 2,300 blanks or blank coins ready to be struck, representing a gross value estimated at 1.8 million CFA francs per box.

The factory was immediately sealed off by the judicial authorities. Initial elements of the investigations indicate that these blank coins and the metallic inputs were imported directly from China before being finalized on Cameroonian soil.

This spectacular seizure comes in the context of heightened vigilance from financial intelligence services in Cameroon. It echoes another major operation conducted on May 21, 2026, in Yaoundé, the political capital, where law enforcement had already confiscated nearly 100 million CFA francs in counterfeit banknotes, including local currency denominations, US dollars, and Swiss francs.