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Thursday, 24 April 2014 - 16:07
British Pound counterfeit scheme busted, two arrested
Two people were arrested on Wednesday during an investigation into a large-scale British Pound counterfeiting scheme. The suspects are a 58-year old man from Stein and a 63-year from Echt-Susteren.
The Public Prosecution Authority does not want to release many details about the two suspects' roles in the scheme, except that they are suspected of transporting fake coins.
The men were arrested in different places, one in Limburg and the other in Belgium. It is unclear how the Department of Justice found out where they were.
This case came to light in 2012 when the British police found millions of fake pounds in various different places. In the end it was determined that some of the coins came from the Netherlands.
Two men were arrested in a warehouse in the Westelijk Havengebied port area of Amsterdam. One of the suspects is the owner of a company that made coins for coffee machines.
During the court hearing on Thursday it seems that the two men from Amsterdam are suspected of making almost one billion British Pound coins. Their pre-trial detention has been extended by 90 days.
The government of Britain decided to develop a new one Pound coin, according to The Independent. According to Royal Mint it is the most modern coin ever made and very difficult to counterfeit.