They counterfeited euros and African currencies and sold them via Telegram: five precautionary measures and two printing shops seized.

Lanciano – This isn't the first time Central Italy has emerged as a hub for the production and trafficking of counterfeit currency, but the international reach of the recently dismantled organization confirms the constant evolution of criminal networks in the sector.

Operation "Small Tower"—conducted by the Carabinieri of the Anti-Counterfeiting Operations Unit (NOAM) of Naples, supported by the territorial force and Europol—led to the execution of five precautionary measures issued by the investigating judge of the Lanciano Court at the request of the local Public Prosecutor's Office.

The restrictive measures affected three suspects residing between Montenerodomo (Chieti) and Rome, who were placed under house arrest, while two other individuals residing in Ascoli Piceno were ordered to remain in their homes.

A global network born in the Chieti area

The investigation, launched in December 2024 under the coordination of the Frentana magistrates, allowed the reconstruction of the structure of a highly specialized group. The organization's operational heart was located in Montenerodomo, a small town in the province of Chieti, where investigators identified and dismantled two actual clandestine printing presses.

Inside the premises, high-precision printing machinery, cell phones, technical equipment, and large quantities of counterfeit banknotes were seized. Not only euros: the gang had expanded its production to include various foreign currencies, including Tanzanian, Ugandan, and Kenyan shillings, Albanian lek, and African Financial Community CFA francs. According to analyses conducted by Bank of Italy experts on the seized euro banknotes, the production fell into eight distinct categories of counterfeit.

Telegram, Darkweb and Cryptocurrencies

What made the criminal network particularly insidious was its combination of artisanal printing methods and modern digital distribution channels. The illegal currency was marketed in several European countries—including France, Germany, Spain, Finland, and Poland—exploiting the confidentiality of Telegram chats.

Payments were collected exclusively in cryptocurrencies to ensure the anonymity of the transactions, while deliveries were made via standard international postal services. The traces followed by NOAM officers allowed them to precisely reconstruct the illegal export routes, enabling Finnish authorities to arrest two buyers found in possession of the counterfeit money.

The preliminary investigation ruled that the charges were "risk of repetition."

Operation "Small Tower" is part of a long series of interventions with which law enforcement is combating the phenomenon of counterfeit currency, an illegal market historically rooted in the Campania-Abruzzo region but now projected into international markets.

As evidence of the solidity of the evidentiary framework, the Court of Review of L'Aquila fully upheld the precautionary measures and provisional charges against all suspects, reiterating the existence of a concrete and present risk of repetition of the crimes.