London police have issued an arrest warrant for a 33-year-old man after equipment used in the production of counterfeit currency was seized from a Highbury Avenue home last month.
In a release Wednesday, police said they executed a search warrant at an unspecified Highbury Avenue address on Jan. 26.
Among the items police say they seized were a USB drive with images of US$20 and US$50 banknotes with various serial numbers, 8.5 by 11-inch textured paper displaying US$20, US$50, and US$100 Federal Reserve banknotes, a suspected counterfeit $100 banknote, and a security seal stamp.
“The serial numbers on the materials seized as a result of this investigation, match a number of U.S. counterfeit $20s and $50s that have been seized recently in the London area,” police said in a statement.
As a result, Christopher Lee Pittman, 33, is facing charges including two counts of possessing counterfeit money, two counts of making counterfeit money, and one count of forgery.
In addition, police say the accused also faces an additional count each of possessing counterfeit money and making counterfeit money in relation to a probe involving counterfeit Canadian currency that dates back to last April.
Anyone with knowledge about either incident or the whereabouts of the accused is asked to contact police at 519-661-5670 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).