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Police said they were notified in August by a “concerned citizen” on Bouton Street who opened the package and found the fake identifications hidden under packing materials.
After investigating, police said they determined that a conspiracy had been initiated in Stamford and that the money and photos had been collected there and then wired to China, where the fake licenses were manufactured.
The licenses were mailed back to Stamford and were to be distributed to underage youths, police said.
Now facing charges are Christian Berrios-Arvelo, 19, and Erick Pinaud, 19, both of Norwalk, police said.
Berrios-Arvelo was charged on Wednesday, Nov. 25, with six counts of second-degree criminal attempt at forgery. Pinaud was charged with 24 counts of second-degree criminal attempt at forgery.
The fake driver's licenses were of high quality and even had holograms embedded in them, police said.
The 24 fake driver's licenses seized, police said, were exact copies of licenses from Rhode Island, New Jersey, Maine, and Pennsylvania.
Stamford police determined that several of the youths who were to get the fake licenses were from the Stamford area, while others were from Massachusetts.
Police also notified authorities at the colleges they attended: the University of Rhode Island, Cape Cod Community College, Eastern Nazarene College, and Norwalk Community College.
The investigation is ongoing, and more arrests are expected, police said.
Possession of a falsified license is considered second-degree forgery, a Class D felony, police said.
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