Fake Documents a Real Problem in Border Security Battle

April 9, 2007 — -- The name Pablo Escobar might almost be synonymous with drug trafficking. But a man with a less familiar name emerged as the kingpin of a different -- though equally underground -- kind of operation.

"Pedro Castorena, he is equivalent to Pablo Escobar in the fraudulent document ring," said Marcy Forman, director of investigations for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Last year's arrest of Castorena in Mexico uncovered one of the biggest counterfeit ID rings in the world, exposing the large-scale problem of document fraud.

Castorena ran counterfeiting franchises in 50 U.S. cities and 33 states, providing bogus IDs and documents to tens of thousands of illegal immigrants.

Forman's comparison to a drug trafficking organization didn't end with drawing a parallel between Castorena and Escobar. She described the vendors on city streets, looking for business, runners who transport information from the customers to those who make the documents to order.

"And then you have the document mills and the labs that make these counterfeit documents -- everything from social security cards to matricular cards to birth certificates to drivers' licenses," Forman continued. "And then you have the organization that actually manufactures and distributes throughout the United States and throughout the world. It's not just a domestic problem. It's a global problem as well."

The money the industry illegally pulls down is staggering. According to Forman, "[It's a] multimillion, potentially multibillion dollar operation."

Even before sharing in a percentage of those profits, Castorena's franchises had to pay a fee of up to $15,000 just to operate.

Undercover video shot by law enforcement shows those vendors sell the fake ids to willing buyers on street corners across the country.

"We're talking about millions of counterfeit documents that are being produced in this country," said Forman. "It's significant and it's almost at epidemic proportions. It's a national security risk."