By Hatab Nyang

The Gambia Immigration Department has confirmed that five Gambian passports seized in Canada earlier this year were “100% counterfeit” after a detailed forensic investigation uncovered multiple security failures and fake identification features that violated international passport standards.

The findings were released after months of investigation following the interception of the suspected documents by the Canada Border Services Agency at Toronto Pearson International Airport on 12 March 2026.

The case has now exposed what Gambian authorities describe as a sophisticated attempt to use forged Gambian travel documents in international travel networks.

In a final report issued after completing technical examinations, the Immigration Department said every one of the five passports failed internationally recognised security requirements for biometric travel documents.

“Conclusively, the results of the examination indicate 100% certainty of counterfeiting, as all examined passports fell short of ICAO Document 9303 standards,” the department said in a statement signed by Public Relations Officer Inspector Siman Lowe.

The investigation was conducted by the Gambia Immigration Department’s Intelligence, Investigation and Risk Analysis Cell together with its Document Examination and Fraud Detection Unit.

Authorities said the operation was carried out in collaboration with the Criminal Investigation Unit of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

The seized documents were later transferred to Banjul through cooperation between Gambian and Canadian authorities so that local experts could conduct a full forensic review.

According to investigators, the passports were issued under the names Dominic Mubarak, Kennedy Mboma, Anderson Kalumba, Charles Mbesuma and Benjamin Zulu.

Although the documents carried different issue dates and birth dates, all of them listed Banjul as the place of birth.

The Immigration Department noted that none of the names appeared traditionally Gambian, raising early suspicions during the investigation.

Officials also confirmed that the passport numbers did not exist in The Gambia’s biometric passport database.

A detailed technical examination reportedly uncovered numerous defects that investigators said genuine Gambian passports do not possess.

Among the irregularities identified were poor hot foil stamping, incorrect biometric chip logo dimensions and wrong font sizes on the bio-data pages.

Investigators also discovered that the Effective Reading Zone had been incorrectly positioned.

One of the most significant findings involved the passport numbers themselves.

According to the GID, the numbers had been manually perforated instead of laser-drilled, which is one of the standard security protections used in authentic Gambian electronic passports.

Experts examining the documents also found suspicious markings inside the visa pages.

“The visa pages contained random dots and microtext that was unreadable under magnification,” the statement said.

Authorities further confirmed that the passports contained fake immigration stamps from both Gambian and Senegalese airports.

Officials explained that the counterfeit documents failed to meet the standards set under ICAO Document 9303, the international framework governing machine-readable and biometric travel documents worldwide.

Failure to comply with those standards means the passports cannot properly interact with international border systems and are immediately treated as suspicious by immigration authorities.

The Immigration Department praised both Canadian agencies for assisting in the investigation.

The GID said cooperation with the Canadian authorities “will further serve as a catalyst for future collaboration” in efforts to combat transnational document fraud.

The case has also renewed concerns about the activities of international criminal networks involved in producing and distributing forged travel documents.

Security officials say counterfeit passports are frequently used to support illegal migration, identity fraud, cross-border criminal operations and human trafficking activities.

Under the leadership of Director General Mboob, the department said it remains committed to protecting the integrity of Gambian national documents.

The GID said it would continue “devising mechanisms to counter document fraud, safeguard the integrity of national documents, and assure Gambians of our relentless commitment to transparency and accountability in the discharge of our immigration mandate.”

Authorities have also urged members of the public to report suspected cases of passport fraud and warned that possession or use of forged travel documents carries serious penalties under Gambian law.

Despite the seriousness of the findings, no arrests have yet been announced either in Canada or The Gambia in connection with the five passports.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Canada Border Services Agency have not publicly indicated whether criminal charges will be filed against the individuals allegedly found with the documents.

The case is expected to intensify scrutiny around document security systems and international migration controls, especially as countries increase efforts to combat identity fraud and organised cross-border crime networks.

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