Federal officers recently intercepted nearly 3,000 fake driver’s licenses and more than 3,100 blank card stocks used to make counterfeit licenses in Kentucky, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
The IDs were heading from China to various locations in New York, the federal agency said, adding that the fake driver’s licenses were seized at an Express Consignment Operations hub in Louisville, Ky.
The licenses were for several states, including Florida, Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey and Ohio.
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Authorities in Louisville notified CBP officers in Memphis since the fake identification cards were also shipped to that area, resulting in an additional 527 counterfeit driver's licenses in Tennessee, officials said.
One of the shipments seized was headed to a convicted child rapist in the New York area, according to CBP, which added that investigators suspect that the individual entices minors with alcohol and fake IDs before engaging in illicit activity. Homeland Security is investigating.
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Thomas Mahn, the Louisville Port director, said fake IDs are frequently bought and sold through “dark web” transactions.
“Some of the major concerns as it relates to fraudulent identity documents is identity theft, worksite enforcement, critical infrastructure protection, fraud linked to immigration-related crimes such as human smuggling and human trafficking, and these documents can be used by those individuals associated with terrorism to minimize scrutiny from travel screening measures,” Mahn said.