Europol has arrested three people in Italy for forging banknotes worth €180,000. The notes were distributed in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany and Spain.
A cross-border investigation led by Europol resulted in the arrest of three members of a criminal group on 7 April.
The group was involved in the production of high-quality counterfeit euro banknotes worth an estimated €180,000.
The operation also resulted in the seizure of 600 counterfeit euro banknotes in denominations of €10, €20, €50 and €100 for a total value of around €50,000.
Police also dismantled the group's print shop in the south of Italy and an illegal €2 euro coin mint in the north of the country.
'Exploiting online infrastructures'
The investigation began in 2024 with the aid of police forces from Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.
It revealed that a criminal organisation operating in southern Italy was distributing large quantities of counterfeit banknotes across the eurozone. Austria, Belgium, France, Germany and Spain received most of the fake currency.
The counterfeit banknotes were sold via an online messaging platform and paid for with cryptocurrency. Once paid for, the banknotes were sent in the post.
Europol warns that criminal finances are "progressively destabilising the EU and are nurtured online, as criminal networks gradually exploit digital and online infrastructures, including messaging platforms, as in this operation."
