FOUR members of an international organised group are facing counterfeit money charges, having seen their plans to produce euro banknotes worth a total of €500 million foiled by the police, TASR learned from Martin Waldl, the Police Corps Presidium spokesman on January 8.
The men, who are all in custody in Slovakia, may face up to 20 years in prison on the counterfeit money charges.
“They were no amateurs,” Waldl said, as quoted by TASR. “Two of the charged have criminal records. [One of charged persons] Sergio G. was a member of the Sicilian mafia.”
The scam got started when one of those charged, Henry S., approached three Czech nationals asking them first to print out advertisement materials and warranty cards at a printing company in the Czech Republic. Along with another charged person, Lorenzo N., they later asked the Czechs to print out banknotes worth the aforementioned sum [before the plan was scuppered].
Henry S. got hold of ink and software to print the banknotes. Lorenzo N. was supposed to get paper sheets to print banknotes worth €20 and €500. The sheets already contained a security thread, watermark and hologram. Two other men, Sergio G. and Salvatore G., were tasked with arranging the transportation of the sheets to the printing company, according to Waldl.
The Czechs later declined to be involved in the scam and alerted the police. Henry S., Sergio G. and Salvatore G. were apprehended at a fuel station in Sekule village in Trnava region on October 31. Lorenzo N., who claimed to be a French diplomat, was nabbed in Hungary before being extradited to Slovakia on December 29, TASR wrote.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Roman Cuprik from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.