European police operation halts €1.2 Billion in counterfeit currency linked to China

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/7170825

In a statement released on Wednesday, Europol said the operation targeted criminal networks distributing fake currency through postal services, with 90% of the seizures linked to consignments sent from China to Europe.

According to Europol, Romanian authorities intercepted more than 4.8 million euro banknotes with altered designs and dismantled a warehouse containing over 223,000 counterfeit notes shipped from China. In addition, three separate seizures in Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United States uncovered more than 220,000 counterfeit coins in euros, pounds sterling and US dollars.

Europol added that between June and November 2025, law enforcement and customs authorities seized 379 parcels containing counterfeit currency.

The seizures led to the launch of a further 70 investigations into criminal networks. In total, more than seven million counterfeit items were identified, including 4.8 million euro banknotes and coins, 2.3 million US dollar notes, 23,302 pounds sterling and 4,800 Swiss francs.

Besides Portugal, the operation involved authorities from Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.