Forgers: 44 arrests in Italy, France and Belgium for the European network linked to the Camorra

2020-07-16T10:24:32.404Z

A vast network of counterfeiters linked to the Camorra has been dismantled with the arrest of 44 people in Italy, France and Belgium, according to reports from the French police, cited by local media. Forty people were arrested in Italy, 3 in France and one in Belgium in the operation coordinated by the European police agency Europol which allowed the seizure of 8 million euros in cash and 8 million euros in property. The damage from the scam has been estimated at 10 million euros. The investigation began in 2017, originating from numerous seizures of counterfeit banknotes of 50 euros made in Benevento and in neighboring towns. The carabinieri have ascertained the existence of a new kind of counterfeiting, characterized by an excellent quality of construction, as it is produced with off-set printing methods. A 69-year-old Benevento with links in France and Belgium, defined as the "broker" of counterfeiting, is the real fulcrum of the organization. The military managed to rebuild the dense network of collaborators and supporters, giving life to a real criminal cartel made up of the most skilled currency counterfeiters, with ramifications that extended from Campania to Lombardy. In Lombardy, in Villanterio in the country, a clandestine printing house of 50 cents coins was identified and seized.