SOFIA, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Bulgarian authorities have busted an organized criminal group responsible for distribution of counterfeit euro banknotes, the national Prosecutor's Office said in a statement Thursday.
Five members of the criminal group, all Bulgarians, were detained on Tuesday when they were selling counterfeit euro bills to undercover agents, said the Prosecutor's Office.
Authorities found and seized 942 fake 20-euro banknotes and 36 banknotes with a nominal value of 50 euros in one gang member's vehicle.
Later, 249 counterfeits with a nominal value of 20 euros and 153 fake 50-euro bills were found in the apartment of another arrested man, the statement said.
The evidence gathered so far indicated that the group has been acting since November 2016, importing fake 20-euro and 50-euro bills in large quantities from Italy, and selling them in Bulgaria, mainly in Petrich and Sandanski near the border with Greece.
In the first quarter of this year, the Bulgarian National Bank seized 609 counterfeit euro banknotes, 166 dollar banknotes and 27 banknotes of other foreign currencies.
