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St. Petersburg police bust gang selling fake IDs from fictional Caribbean state

The price for these fake IDs went anywhere from $260-$1,760

© AP Photo/Kim Curtis

MOSCOW, March 7. /TASS/. Police in St. Petersburg have uncovered a gang suspected of manufacturing and selling phony IDs of a fictitious country, the Interior Ministry’s spokesperson, Irina Volk, said on Wednesday.

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"The gang members set up a so-called consulate of a non-existent Caribbean island state in St. Petersburg. They were making fake passports and driving licenses on behalf of this imaginary country and sold them to foreigners who arrived in Russia to find a job, but lacked proper documents," Volk said.

She said that the price for these fake IDs went anywhere from 15,000 to 100,000 rubles ($260-$1,760).

Police have filed fraud charges and have detained a 64-year old suspect, the ringleader, who acted as the fake country’s consul. As a result, he was later put under house arrest. Passports, driving licenses, stamps and office appliances were seized from his apartment.

Other gang members, two men aged 35 and 44, searched for potential clients.

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