14 arrests in counterfeit euro op centred on Spain

Spanish police, backed by Europol, have busted an organised crime ring producing counterfeit euro banknotes, making 14 arrests.

Nine house searches at properties in Tarragona, Barcelona and Málaga uncovered €25,000 in fake €50 notes, along with paper used for counterfeiting cash, holographic bands, printing machines and a guillotine for cutting paper.

The criminal network, led by a mother and son of Lithuanian origin, was composed of members mainly of Spanish, Lithuanian and Moroccan origin, and is allegedly involved in counterfeit of €20 and €50 notes which were sold on the dark web.

In a prime example of how counterfeiting fuels other forms of crime, Europol notes that the suspects used the illegal profits from the fake currency to invest in the production and trafficking of marijuana.