Information
A man suspected of producing €11 million ($12 million) worth of counterfeit Euro banknotes was apprehended in Naples, Italy, as announced by Europol. The man, whose identity has not been revealed, had already distributed €8 million in fake notes across Europe, primarily in France, and had an additional €3 million ready for distribution from his advanced “bunker-like” printing facility. Europol estimates that this individual was behind over 27% of all counterfeit Euro banknotes discovered and removed from circulation in 2023.
During a raid by Italian Carabinieri, authorities uncovered a highly sophisticated print shop concealed behind a garage and sliding door. The operation featured an industrial-scale setup with 31 digital printing machines and substantial amounts of raw materials. Expert analysis confirmed that the counterfeit notes, including their security features like holograms, were of exceptionally high quality. This arrest follows earlier actions in 2023, where police had already detained 14 individuals in various cities for producing and distributing over €1 million in counterfeit €100 notes. German authorities also removed over 56,000 counterfeit banknotes worth more than €5 million from circulation this year.
Source: Reuters, DW
So what
This is an interesting find; with the amount of money this facility was producing, it is likely that it has been causing significant disruption to local small businesses. While we are unlikely ever to find out it would be interesting to know how they tracked down this facility and the types of intelligence that led them to the bunker. Of note, it is possible that one of the people arrested in 2023 could have been flipped and used as an informant in exchange for a reduced sentence.
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