Overview

• Police made the first arrest at a leisure venue after staff alerted officers to a suspicious cash payment.
• Officers seized 18 €50 notes that appeared authentic on visual inspection before analysis revealed irregularities.
• Specialists from the Bank of Spain’s BIBE found repeated serial numbers across the notes and deemed the batch dangerous due to its quality.
• A second man who accompanied the buyer and sought the wallet containing the cash during the stop was also arrested on fraud and counterfeiting charges.
• Investigators later detained a third suspect accused of paying €1,000 in counterfeit €50s to purchase a vehicle from the second detainee, and all three were brought before Alicante’s duty court.