Italian police seize Turkish cargo of counterfeit euros and forged documents at Greek port

Italian anti‑mafia investigators seized a truck loaded with counterfeit 50‑euro notes and forged travel documents at the Greek port of Τεργέστης. The cargo, which had departed from the Turkish port of Gemlik bound for Hamburg, was transported via a Ro‑Ro route through the Aegean, Ionian and Adriatic seas.

Authorities found about 23,400 counterfeit banknotes worth roughly €1.17 million, as well as passports, visas and residence permits from numerous countries, including Greece, Cyprus, the United Kingdom, the United States, Belgium, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Brazil and others. A hard‑drive and USB stick held around 10,000 digital files—templates, logos, fonts and software—used to produce fake documents. Among the seized items were 75 visas, 13 identity cards, 11 residence permits and nine driver’s licences, plus a Russian‑named Italian driving licence linked to alleged extremist networks.

The operation was carried out by Italy’s financial‑crime police in cooperation with security services of a neighbouring country. Italian officials warned that Turkey and several Eastern‑European states are major hubs for manufacturing and distributing forged documents to the European market.