Europol confiscated roughly 1.2 billion euros in fake currency across 18 nations
Europol said Wednesday that authorities from 18 countries seized an estimated 1.2 billion euros ($1.43 billion) in counterfeit currency in a six-month operation targeting criminal networks that distributed fake banknotes and coins through postal services.
The operation, led by Austria, Portugal and Spain and carried out between June and November 2025, intercepted more than seven million counterfeit items, including 4.8 million euros, $2.3 million, 23,302 pounds and 4,800 Swiss francs. More than 90 percent of the fake currency originated in China, the agency said.
Romanian officials alone seized over 4.8 million altered-design euro banknotes and dismantled a storage site holding more than 223,000 counterfeit notes, while additional actions in Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United States uncovered more than 220,000 fake coins in multiple currencies.
The coordinated crackdown, involving customs and police agencies across Europe and the U.S., has triggered 70 new investigations, Europol added.