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A Europol-coordinated action led by Austria, Portugal, and Spain has resulted in the seizure of €1.2 billion counterfeit banknotes and coins.
Law enforcement authorities from 18 countries participated in Operation DECOY III, which stopped the knockoffs from entering circulation.
“More than 90% of the seized counterfeit currency was linked to shipments originating from China,” Europol announced in a statement on Wednesday.
The European Union agency said the joint customs and police operation targeted criminal networks distributing dummy money through postal services.
In Romania, authorities intercepted 4.8 million altered-design euro banknotes and dismantled a storage facility holding more than 223,000 sham notes.
Separate seizures in Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States uncovered 220,000 counterfeit coins in euros, pounds, and US dollars.
Europol noted that the tracing of all the shipments to China highlights the Asian nation as “a major source of counterfeit cash entering Europe.”
The six-month operation, which spanned June and November 2025, seized 379 parcels containing fake currency and triggered 70 investigations into the criminal networks behind them.
The 7 million fake currency includes 4.8 million euro banknotes and coins; 2.3 million US dollar items; 23,302 British pound items; and 4,800 Swiss franc items, totaling €1.2 billion.
