17/07/2020 (Agence Europe) – A vast counterfeiting network linked to the Italian mafia organisation Camorra has been dismantled by the Italian, Belgian and French authorities, announced Europol, which supported these operations, on Friday 17 July. The criminal network is believed to have produced and distributed over the years more than three million counterfeit banknotes for a total face value of more than €233 million, which represents one quarter of all counterfeit euro banknotes detected in circulation since the introduction of the euro. “This network could very well be the largest ever disrupted since the very first days of the euro currency”, according to Europol. On 15 July this year, 44 suspects were arrested and the authorities froze criminal assets worth €8 million in Italy. Preliminary investigations had already led to the seizure of almost 450,000 counterfeit €50 and €100 banknotes. (MF)