The Hague Prosecutor’s Office has requested a 5 and a half year prison sentence for a counterfeiter who produced and distributed counterfeit money via DarkWeb.
According to the Dutch prosecutor’s office, a 32-year-old resident of The Hague has been producing and selling counterfeit banknotes via DarkWeb for more than 3 years and sending them by mail throughout Europe.
The investigation began in early 2020. At that time, the Dutch authorities were asked by the German and Austrian authorities to launch an investigation into counterfeiting. Based on the information provided, the customs authorities of Germany and Austria were able to intercept packages of counterfeit banknotes sent to them from the Netherlands.
During the course of this investigation, law enforcement authorities were able to intercept a dozen packages sent to customers. All packages contained counterfeit banknotes of various currencies and denominations. The intercepted banknotes, namely the fingerprints left on them, helped law enforcement agencies identify the counterfeiter.
On July 12, 2022, investigators obtained a search warrant for the accused. During the search, the 32-year-old man was found to have a full-fledged printing house for the production of counterfeit banknotes of various denominations. Also, about 60 thousand euros, approximately 100 thousand Swedish kronor and more than 10 thousand US dollars were found. Firearms and ammunition were also found on the accused’s person.
According to the information provided by the Central Bank of the Netherlands, the counterfeiter produced and partially distributed counterfeit banknotes worth about 800 thousand euros throughout Europe.
A court hearing is scheduled for 2023, at which the defendant will be sentenced.
