A large-scale counterfeit money operation has been uncovered in Catalonia, involving fake €100 bills. Seven people have been arrested in Badalona, all members of the same family. According to investigators, the group specialized in distributing counterfeit notes produced in underground print shops in Napoli, controlled by the Italian Camorra mafia.
The suspects operated not only in Badalona but also in neighboring cities—Sant Adrià del Besòs, Santa Coloma de Gramenet, and Barcelona itself. To pass the fake money, they targeted various shops, enlisting minors to distract store clerks. This tactic allowed them to slip the counterfeit bills unnoticed and leave before the scam was discovered.
The investigation began in January, after a sharp rise in complaints about suspicious €100 notes at local shops. Experts say these counterfeits are of high quality: they mimic real security features, making them hard to spot. The only giveaway is that, unlike genuine bills, the number on the back doesn’t change color when tilted.
The family group lived in the Sant Roc district of Badalona and, according to investigators, operated in a coordinated and organized manner. They carefully chose locations to distribute the fake notes, minimizing the risk of exposure. The counterfeit bills, known as the ‘Naples group,’ have long been considered among the most widespread in Spain. Their production is on an industrial scale, and the quality is so high that even experienced cashiers cannot always tell them apart from genuine currency.
Police have mapped out the distribution areas for the counterfeit banknotes, allowing them to identify the criminals’ main zones of activity. As a result of the operation, all group members were arrested. They now face charges of manufacturing and distributing counterfeit money, as well as involving minors in criminal activity.
The banknotes seized from the suspects have been sent for examination. The investigation is ongoing, and authorities do not rule out that the counterfeit euro network was much broader, potentially spanning other regions of the country.
