LA PAZ: Bolivia's security forces have raided at least 22 homes near the site where a military plane carrying millions of dollars in cash crashed last week, seeking to recover banknotes stolen after the accident.
At least 24 people died in the crash, most of whom where in vehicles in an avenue near Bolivia's El Alto International Airport, one of the country's most important terminals. The plane was carrying newly printed bank notes totalling 423 million bolivianos (RM240.4mil) for Bolivia's central bank.
The Friday (Feb 27) crash scattered millions of bills across El Alto, Bolivia's second-largest city, drawing thousands of residents to the scene in search of cash as authorities moved to burn and destroy the notes. The incident has also created confusion for businesses struggling to distinguish between valid currency and bills from the crash that the central bank has declared void.
Residents were still searching the area on Monday (March 2), with dozens using picks and shovels to dig near the crash site and pull out bushes in hopes of finding remaining cash.
Nearly 50 people are in custody pending court hearings on accusations including aggravated robbery, according to Henry Pinto, regional director of the anti-crime force.
The military cargo plane departed from Santa Cruz carrying the notes for the central bank, which planned to issue them. The shipment was part of a contract with Crane Currency Malta Ltd for 966.9 million banknotes scheduled for delivery in 2025 and 2026.
About 30% of the 17 million bills aboard the plane were stolen, the central bank said. The remainder were either recovered or burned at the crash site. Residents clashed with police and airport infrastructure was damaged as crowds fought to collect the notes, authorities said.
The central bank said all of the transported bills were marked "Series B" and that it had voided their serial numbers. Other "Series B" notes already in circulation remain legal tender.
Even so, confusion persists. Some businesses posted signs Monday saying they would refuse all "Series B" notes regardless of serial number. Public transport drivers said it is impossible to verify serial numbers while managing passengers and traffic. – Bloomberg
Banknotes lay trapped under a broken fence at the site where a Bolivian Air Force Hercules aircraft crashed on Friday evening onto a busy avenue amid inclement weather in the city of El Alto, Bolivia, February 27, 2026. REUTERS/Claudia Morales
A drone view shows the site where a Bolivian Air Force Hercules aircraft crashed onto a busy avenue amid inclement weather in El Alto, Bolivia, February 28, 2026. REUTERS/Claudia Morales
Bolivianos banknotes at the scene of a plane crash in El Alto, Bolivia, on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026. Bolivian authorities are scrambling to destroy the equivalent of $62 million worth of local currency bank notes that fell from the sky in a deadly plane crash in the country's second largest city. Photographer: Marcelo Perez del Carpio/Bloomberg
Members of the military burn piles of cash at the scene of a plane crash in El Alto, Bolivia, on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026. Bolivian authorities are scrambling to destroy the equivalent of $62 million worth of local currency bank notes that fell from the sky in a deadly plane crash in the country's second largest city. Photographer: Marcelo Perez del Carpio/Bloomberg
