Law enforcement agencies across multiple nations have seized millions of euros worth of counterfeit currency in a coordinated operation supported by Europol. The investigation, which targeted the distribution of fake banknotes via postal services, resulted in the confiscation of counterfeit Euro, US Dollar and British Pound Sterling, with an estimated total value exceeding €66 million.
The collaborative effort, involving authorities from 18 countries, initiated 102 new investigations into criminal networks involved in counterfeiting. A total of 297 packages containing counterfeit money were intercepted, yielding over 990,000 fake items. These included banknotes and coins valued at over €280,000, $679,000 and £12,000.
The majority of these criminal networks are based outside of the European Union, primarily in Asia, but also originating in the Americas and the Middle East. A significant breakthrough occurred in Romania, where national authorities seized $600,000 in counterfeit currency.
This operation represents the second phase of a previous action also supported by Europol. Similar to the first phase, the majority of seized items were reproductions of banknotes with altered designs – often referred to as “movie money”. While appearing similar in shape and colour to genuine notes, these reproductions contain a disclaimer indicating their status as counterfeit.
The investigations for this second phase were conducted between October 2024 and March 2025, with authorities from Austria, Portugal and Spain leading the effort. Participating nations also included Germany, Bulgaria, France, Greece, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Croatia, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Czech Republic, Turkey and the United States.