Law enforcement agencies found that a secret large-scale production of counterfeit banknotes was organized in the territory of the Levashinsky district of the Republic of Dagestan.
"For the sale of manufactured products, OPS units were created aimed at selling large quantities of counterfeit banknotes in the territories of various subjects of the Russian Federation. According to operational data, the annual volume of manufactured and sold fake products exceeded 1 billion rubles, "the FSB said in a statement.
As part of the initiated criminal cases investigated by the investigative unit of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation for the North Caucasus Federal District under Part 3 of Article 186 (manufacture, storage, transportation or sale of counterfeit money or securities)
of the Criminal Code of Russia, 18 searches were conducted in the territories of the Rostov Region, the Republics of Dagestan, Ingushetia and the Chechen Republic.
"During the searches, items and documents relevant to the investigation of the criminal case were found and seized: more than 20 million counterfeit rubles, constituent elements of clichés for the manufacture of Russian rubles, a matrix for the manufacture of US dollars, a complex of computer equipment for printing money, professional means of reproducing banknote security elements, specialized money paper with watermarks applied to it, paint and other components, used to make counterfeit cash tickets," the statement said.
It is specified that also during the searches more than 300 ammunition for the AK-74 assault rifle were found and seized.
As a result of the measures taken, 91 defendants were detained in accordance with Art. 11 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of Russia.
Earlier, Andrei Oksenchuk, a specialist of the Cash Circulation Department of the Main Directorate of the Bank of Russia for the Central Federal District, spoke about the rules for protection against counterfeiters.