Italian authorities have dismantled a major counterfeiting operation in Torre Annunziata, seizing fake €50 and €100 banknotes worth over €2.8 million.
The operation was carried out by the Guardia di Finanza of Napoli, who discovered a fully equipped clandestine print shop inside a local property, now under seizure.
Officers also confiscated 12,000 counterfeit holograms, printing plates, frames, computers, printers, and specialized watermark paper. Investigators revealed that the fake banknotes were artificially aged to enhance their realism and make detection more difficult.
The property owner, an Italian national, was arrested. Authorities also found and seized approximately 2.2 kilograms of drugs, including marijuana and hashish. A judge has ordered pre-trial detention in prison.