14 DAY TRIAL // A large part of a group that was selling counterfeit Euro banknotes, drugs, and other illegal assets through a dark web marketplace was dismembered following 300 house searches and the apprehension of 235 suspects from 13 different European countries.
The joint operation between Europol and multiple law enforcement agencies from various European countries started on 19 November and specifically targeted an organization which was buying and selling counterfeit banknotes on several dark web online marketplaces.
Besides the 235 suspects detained during the house searches the law enforcement agents were also able to seize 1,500 counterfeit Euro banknotes, as well as "drugs, weapons (firearms, nunchaku, illegal knives and blades), computers, mobile phones, Bitcoins and hardware for mining virtual currencies."
French agents also discovered a location where illegal Euro counterfeit banknotes were printed, while a number of cannabis plantations were found in both Germany and France.
The Europol investigation started after the dismantling of a counterfeiting ring by the Austrian Federal Criminal Police in June 2018, an operation which was using a print shop capable of printing 10, 20 and 50 euro banknotes.
An Austrian counterfeiting print shop forged and sold more than 10,000 banknotes
Moreover, the Austrian counterfeiting group was able to forge over 10,000 Euro banknotes and to sell them on multiple marketplaces on the dark web.
Europol and several national police agencies performed a second array of hundreds of house searches from December 3 to December 6, 180 in Germany, 28 in France, 20 in Austria and Italy, and multiple others in Croatia, Cyprus, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
"This joint effort highlights that complete anonymity on the internet and the Darknet doesn’t exist. When you engage in illegal activity online, be prepared to have police knocking on your door sooner or later," stated Wil van Gemert, Europol’s Deputy Executive Director of Operations.
Van Gemert also added that "Europol will continue to assist Member States in their efforts of protecting the euro against counterfeiting, both in the real world as in the virtual one."