Spanish Police Bust Major Euro Counterfeiting Ring, Arrest 14 Suspects

The suspects were arrested for their alleged involvement in the trafficking of counterfeit banknotes and drugs, and membership in a criminal group, reports El Taquigrafo. These individuals, members of one of the largest counterfeiting networks, are said to have introduced nearly 500,000 counterfeit euros into Spain during the year 2021, according to investigators.

To read: Moroccan Man Arrested in Spain for Using Counterfeit Euros Purchased on Amazon

The police and the Mossos opened a joint investigation in November 2021, after noting the circulation of a large number of counterfeit 20 and 50 euro banknotes. They discovered that the criminal group was manufacturing these counterfeit banknotes which it was selling on the Dark Web to avoid any police control. The counterfeit banknotes thus released were then distributed in the financial circuit by brokers or other groups.

The investigation led to the location of the three counterfeit banknote manufacturing laboratories of the organization, located in Salou, Reus and Tarragona. The group, based in Barcelona, was led by a woman and her son who used the funds from this counterfeit currency trafficking to create a cannabis cultivation plantation in Montroig del Camp (Tarragona).