Bolivian law enforcement raided more than 20 residences on March 2 to track down banknotes stolen after a military cargo plane carrying them crashed near the capital La Paz, killing 24 people, officials said.
The C-130 Hercules transport plane crashed after landing at El Alto International Airport on Feb. 27, destroying multiple cars and damaging trucks.
The aircraft was carrying 17 million banknotes totaling 50 million Bolivianos ($7.2 million) to be delivered to the country's central bank, according to the Ministry of Economy.
Seven of the eight crew members on board the plane survived, and authorities have not provided further details on the circumstances of the deaths of the rest of the victims.
Bystanders rushed to the plane's wreckage to grab the scattered cash, prompting police to use tear gas to repel them.
Police have completed "22 raids so far" at homes "where evidence like banknotes has been encountered," police colonel Henry Pinto, who has been tapped to lead the investigation, told reporters.
The Central Bank of Bolivia, for its part, has said the banknotes will be cancelled and deemed unacceptable by banks and financial institutions.
Jose Gabriel Espinoza, Bolivia's Economy Minister, told the Unitel broadcaster that he estimates "close to 30 percent" of the banknotes from the incident were stolen.
