Two fake Mexican passports were found in the luggage of a Turkish citizen returning to the US from Cancun. Messages on his phone revealed notable details about the circumstances surrounding the case. According to federal court filings, Kaan Elmas, a Green Card holder in the US, arrived at Charlotte Douglas International Airport from Cancun on July 9.
During a search by customs officers, two Mexican passports were found hidden in the pocket of a pair of shorts in his luggage. An examination determined that both passports were fake. One passport had been prepared in the name of Cihan Omur Demiral, while the other was in the name of Aslan Abubakarov. The fake passport identified Demiral as a Mexican citizen born in Boston.
US records, however, identified him as a Turkish citizen born in Pendik, Istanbul. One notable detail in the case file is that Demiral already held a valid US visitor visa issued using his Turkish passport. The intended use of the fake Mexican passport has not been disclosed. The investigation expanded after Elmas’s phone was examined.
Prosecutors say the phone contained messages about preparing the documents, making payment and collecting them in Cancun. Messages exchanged on Signal with an account named “Afonso SVPPB” allegedly discussed the purchase of the fake documents and the delivery process. Prosecutors argue that the messages show Elmas knew about the documents in advance and played an active role in obtaining and transporting them.
The identity of the account holder remains unknown. Elmas told authorities that he had obtained the passports for a friend. He said he received the documents in Cancun from a man wearing a white T-shirt whom he had never met before, outside a 7-Eleven. The messages also reportedly referred to another person described as “Russian.” It has not been confirmed whether this person was Aslan Abubakarov, whose name appeared on the second fake passport.
A federal grand jury indicted Kaan Elmas on July 22 on two separate charges. Prosecutors are investigating who produced the fake passports, who they were prepared for and who supplied the documents in Cancun. Nordic Monitor reported.
