LONGMONT, Colo. - After a year-long investigation, Longmont Police arrested a woman in connection with a counterfeit money/meth ring. Rebecca Ingles was taken into custody in Berthoud after a short foot chase.
Police say she has passed more than 125 fake $20 bills over the past year, and that's on the low end.
"We're suspecting we have over 200 counterfeit bills that entered the economy in our city," said Longmont Police Commander Tim Lewis.
Police say Ingles passed the funny money at places like McDonald's, area gas stations and 7-11's. She would buy low-priced items and get "real" change back which detectives say she would funnel back into her drug habit and a meth ring.
"What our investigation shows, she's associated with a fairly significant meth organization working from Denver up to Fort Collins," said Lewis.
Counterfeiters are getting good at making funny money, so how do you know it's fake? Here are a couple of clues: The fine scroll lines on the border of a genuine bill are sharp. On the fake, the lines are blurred. The serial numbers on the real deal are evenly spaced. Not so with the fake. They may even be discolored. And look for the watermark. It should look exactly like the picture.
Ingles is in the Boulder County Jail and faces 15 or more years behind bars. Investigators continue to look for the others involved.
Police say she has passed more than 125 fake $20 bills over the past year, and that's on the low end.
"We're suspecting we have over 200 counterfeit bills that entered the economy in our city," said Longmont Police Commander Tim Lewis.
Police say Ingles passed the funny money at places like McDonald's, area gas stations and 7-11's. She would buy low-priced items and get "real" change back which detectives say she would funnel back into her drug habit and a meth ring.
"What our investigation shows, she's associated with a fairly significant meth organization working from Denver up to Fort Collins," said Lewis.
Counterfeiters are getting good at making funny money, so how do you know it's fake? Here are a couple of clues: The fine scroll lines on the border of a genuine bill are sharp. On the fake, the lines are blurred. The serial numbers on the real deal are evenly spaced. Not so with the fake. They may even be discolored. And look for the watermark. It should look exactly like the picture.
Ingles is in the Boulder County Jail and faces 15 or more years behind bars. Investigators continue to look for the others involved.
