Europol says counterfeit currency worth 1.2 bln euros seized

Europol said law enforcement agencies across the European Union and partner countries seized counterfeit currency worth about 1.2 billion euros in an operation coordinated by the agency.

Romanian authorities confiscated more than 4.8 million fake euro banknotes and uncovered a warehouse storing more than 223,000 counterfeit notes allegedly originating from China, the agency said.

In addition, more than 220,000 counterfeit euro, pound sterling and U.S. dollar coins were seized in three joint operations involving Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Europol said 379 postal shipments containing counterfeit currency were intercepted between June and November 2025, leading to 70 criminal investigations targeting fraud networks.

In total, more than 7 million counterfeit currency units were seized, including around 4.8 million euros, 2.3 million U.S. dollars, more than 23,000 British pounds and about 4,800 Swiss francs.

The operation involved law enforcement agencies from 14 EU member states, as well as partners from Serbia, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. Europol said it intends to strengthen cooperation with Chinese authorities together with the European Central Bank and the European Commission to combat the spread of counterfeit currency.