Prolific plastic banknote forgers arrested in Romania

The Romanian authorities have busted a criminal network responsible for counterfeiting thousands of the country’s 100 lei banknotes.

In a press release, the Directorate for the Investigation of Organised Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) said the ring was formed in 2014 and since then manufactured 17,000 of the notes – worth almost $400,000. The leader of the gang “produced the best forgeries in the history of Romania and become the largest counterfeiter of plastic banknotes in the world,” according to the agency.

Local media reports say the counterfeiters were only apprehended after a fingerprint was found on one of the notes entered into circulation, and matched the records of a man convicted of theft nearly three decades ago.

The forgers incorporated several security features on the notes, including “micro-perforations, iridescent tape, latent image, transparent window, colour-changing ink, and non-visible dyes that only appear under ultraviolet light.