Gran Canaria has been caught up in a major international police investigation into a counterfeit money network allegedly linked to the Italian Camorra organised crime syndicate, as the National Police participated in the coordinated operation alongside authorities in Germany and Italy, with support from Europol.
The investigation resulted in six arrest warrants being executed and 16 simultaneous searches of homes and businesses across Germany, Italy and Spain, including Gran Canaria.
Five of the six people arrested have subsequently been remanded in custody.
According to Spain's Ministry of the Interior, investigators believe the criminal network was manufacturing and supplying high-quality counterfeit euro banknotes to other criminal organisations operating in Germany and Spain.
The investigation indicates that several hundred thousand counterfeit banknotes were put into circulation.
Weapons, drugs and counterfeit euros seized
Police searches were carried out in Stuttgart and the Rems-Murr district of Germany, Naples in Italy, and Gran Canaria.
Among the items seized during the coordinated operation were firearms, ammunition, drugs, counterfeit euro notes, mobile phones and valuables allegedly purchased using criminal proceeds.
The counterfeit notes seized were of Italian origin and belonged to a type identified by investigators as the so-called “Naples Group”.
The investigation has its origins several years ago.
In November 2021, German authorities arrested a 47-year-old Italian man following an international arrest warrant issued by the Italian authorities.
He was accused of belonging to the Camorra and of involvement in counterfeiting, money laundering and drug trafficking.
The man was extradited to Italy in 2022 and was subsequently released, but investigators continued monitoring his contacts.
According to the Spanish Interior Ministry, those contacts included people operating restaurants in Stuttgart who were suspected of helping facilitate illegal activity.
Investigation leads to Gran Canaria
The subsequent investigation uncovered what police describe as an infrastructure used to manufacture and distribute sophisticated counterfeit currency.
That eventually led investigators not only to Germany and Naples, but also to Gran Canaria, where properties were included in the simultaneous search operation.
Authorities say the organisation supplied counterfeit euros to criminal groups for onward distribution in both Spain and Germany.
High-quality counterfeit notes present a particular challenge because they are designed to pass unnoticed during everyday transactions before eventually being detected by banks, retailers or law-enforcement agencies.
The involvement of Gran Canaria in such a substantial European investigation demonstrates the international nature of the network under investigation.
The operation was coordinated by the Baden-Württemberg State Criminal Police Office and Stuttgart Public Prosecutor's Office, with Europol supporting the investigation and police forces in the participating countries carrying out the raids.
Investigations into the wider criminal network are continuing.
