Counterfeit euro ring busted in Spain

Police in Spain have arrested eight people in the Lavapies neighbourhood of Madrid in connection with counterfeiting of €50 banknotes.

The suspects, the majority of them Senegalese nationals, are believed to have distributed the fake notes throughout Spain, according to Europol, which assisted the Policía Nacional in the operation as some of the suspects were travelling regularly to Italy. Europol deployed a mobile office to Madrid, allowing for the real-time crosschecking of the information against the agency’s databases.

Prior to the arrests police intercepted a package addressed to the ringleader containing €15,000 in counterfeit €50 banknotes, sent from Italy and destined for distribution in Barcelona and Madrid.