A group of money forgers were arrested as a result of investigations performed by employees of the National Investigations Inspectorate in concert with the Iasi Brigade for Combating Organized Crime. These include three Romanian nationals and seven Moldovans, who smuggled money into Moldova from the EU, IPN reports.

The suspects are aged between 19 and 43 and live in the municipality of Chisinau, in Ungheni town, in Nisporeni district and in the Romanian county Bacau. The police in Iasi caught two members of the group, who are not Moldovans, while purchasing counterfeit euro banknotes to the value of €2,000 from a Romanian national.

As a result of searches performed simultaneously in Moldova and Romania, there were found and seized mobile phones, equipment, forged euro bills and money earned from illegal activities. The suspects face 7 to 15 years in jail for forging or putting forged banknotes into circulation.

Contacted by phone by IPN, press officer of the National Investigations Inspectorate Diana Sochirca said forged banknotes of 200 and 500 lei, 20 and 50 euros and 100 dollars were put into circulation. The counterfeit bills have one side brighter than the other. The money should be exchanged only at authorized facilities, avoiding intermediaries. The police should be contacted if forgery is suspected.