The Sofia City Court (SCC) decided to keep in custody the three men detained for possession of counterfeit euro banknotes in the capital's "Ovcha Kupel" district. The court imposed the most severe measure of restraint - "detention in custody", after considering that the committed act represents a high public danger.
According to information from the investigating authorities, two of the detainees are from Varna, and the third is from Targovishte. They were arrested on August 6 during a special operation conducted by the "Economic Police" department of the Sofia Directorate of Internal Affairs (SDIA). During their detention, 50 counterfeit banknotes with a denomination of 200 euros were found, totaling 10,000 euros.
Experts from SDIA noted that the counterfeit banknotes are of extremely high quality and difficult to recognize even for an experienced bank employee. This raises serious questions about the source of these counterfeits and the potential threat they pose to the financial system.
The three detainees - Evgeni D., Daniel D., and Hristian G. - are accused of putting counterfeit currency into circulation. During the court hearing, their defense tried to argue for a lighter measure, citing various evidence, including the deteriorating health condition of some of the accused. Nevertheless, the court remained adamant in its decision.
It is important to note that the SCC's ruling is not final and is subject to appeal before an appellate instance. This means that the legal process is not yet concluded and there may be further developments in the case.
On the day of the arrest, Chief Commissioner Lyubomir Nikolov, director of SDIA, emphasized the importance of combating the distribution and production of counterfeit currency, especially in the context of the upcoming introduction of the euro in Bulgaria. He pointed out that this is a priority on which SDIA works in close cooperation with the prosecutor's office.
According to police data, this high-quality counterfeit was detected for the first time in Bulgaria but had been noticed in many places across Europe. This suggests that it might be an international counterfeiting operation. For this reason, the investigation is attracting the attention of partner services from other European countries.
Experts believe that the counterfeit banknotes were likely produced outside of Bulgaria's borders, which further complicates the investigation and underscores the need for international cooperation in combating such crimes.
This case raises important questions about the security of the euro as a currency and highlights the need for enhanced measures to protect against counterfeiting, especially in light of Bulgaria's upcoming accession to the eurozone.