By James Langton
A COUNTERFEIT note-making gang that forged high-quality replicas of low-value notes has been broken up by the National Police, following raids on properties in Fuengirola, Marbella and Benalmádena.
A police statement said that 11 members of the gang, aged between 15 and 39, had been arrested following an investigation that started in March, after a Málaga store was duped by a youngster making a purchase with a fake €10 note. The minor also attempted to repeat the trick in another establishment, but with no success.
Police found that the criminal group were not only manufacturing the fake money, but distributing it in towns throughout Málaga province, as well as the Córdoba town of Puente Genil, by using underage accomplices to buy something small from a store, before taking the change and fleeing to a getaway car. One of the minors flooded the market with an estimated €4,000 of counterfeit money, in exchange for commission from the criminal group.
