FRIENDSWOOD,
Texas --Friendswood
police say a drug deal led officers to a break they have been waiting for in
its counterfeit money case.
For the past several months, police have been looking for the person behind
counterfeit bills. The money looks so real, neighbors we showed had a hard time
spotting issues.
"If this were a game and you
said pick the one that's real, or pick the ones that's not real, I would have a
really hard time picking the real one," resident Kay Howard said.
The money hasn't fooled everybody. Last week, officers said on the 2900 block
of Autumn Cove Court, a teen tried to buy drugs using counterfeits.
The dealers realized it was fake, and pulled out a gun. A neighbor spotted the
fight and called the cops.
Fake money makes it way
through Friendswood
When police arrived, officers say they smelled marijuana inside a home. They
also found $100 bills that looked exactly like those bills found in previous
cases.
In all, they found 12 fake bills, and charged the 16-year-old with felony
forgery.
Police said they didn't just find money, but also receipts. Officers believe
the fake money was used to buy clothes at the Baybrook Mall.
Detectives are trying to figure out how the teen got the counterfeit cash, but
they don't believe she's alone.
Police released an image of a suspect using a fake $100 bill at Dunn Brothers
Coffee.
"Even when you held it up to the light, they have those letters on the side.
It had those letters," Dunn Brothers Coffee general manager Benette Rowley
said. "It had the number."
It's
not just 100's. Officers say they've found fake $20 and $50 bills, too.
They're encouraging cashiers and businesses to check bills they receive with a
counterfeit pen.
If the ink turns a color, it's most likely a fake bill.