9 hours agoMacedonian police investigate over half a million euros, arrest 10 people
Periskopi(a year ago)
(a year ago)The prosecution for Organised Crime and Corruption Tracking in Northern Macedonia has indicated that it has discovered and confiscated about half a million euros, including equipment for counting and counterfeiting money, copies of bank parts, as well as weapons and ammunition, during a action held on Monday. In a communique for [...]
In a media communiqué, the prosecution indicated that the action, codenamed “Vardar”, resulted in the arrest of ten people, while being carried out in co-operation with the European Police Agency (EUROPOL), with Eurojust support from the EU Agency for Judiciary Co-operation in Criminal Affairs, as well as some Serbian investigative institutions.
“EUROOPOL and Project EUROJUST for criminal justice in the Western Balkans, enabled operational co-ordination, critical intelligence analysis and technical assistance for the implementation of Operation”, the Prosecutor's report said.
During the raids, authorities seized about 500,000 euros, $25,000, 500 Swiss francs, 1800 Israeli sheikla, 500 Croatian kuna, $10,000, 1,000 Swedish crotch and 25,000 Russian rubles.
“23 commands for personal control and housing have been executed, and material evidence” has been provided, the prosecution said.
According to the prosecution, this action is the continuation of last August's operation, when authorities in Skopje, in co-ordination with the Special Prosecutor of Kosovo and with the support of Eurojust and EUROOPOL, seized equipment for counterfeiting Euro currency, ready and half ready, bars and other materials for production.
In that operation, a police official from Northern Macedonia was arrested in Kosovo, under suspicion of producing about two million fake two euro coins.
He was part of the department for fighting serious crimes and organised crime in the Macedonian Police. Sources from investigations told Radio Free Europe that the detainee was part of the counterfeiters' network, but not the main organiser of the operation.
The prosecution has also announced the development and results of the part of the operation conducted in Serbia.
“In the Republic of Serbia, raids have been made at several locations in Novi Pazar, Novi Sad, Sombor and Subotica. Six members of the criminal group have been arrested, and 180,000 forged banknotes have been seized in Euro”, the prosecution reports. / REL/
