A couple was arrested in Cardedeu, Barcelona, on 5 May for allegedly using their nine-month-old baby to distract shopkeepers while passing fake €50 notes. The Mossos d'Esquadra, Catalonia's police force, detained the 32-year-old man and 29-year-old woman on suspicion of fraud and currency counterfeiting, according to a police statement.
Police said the couple used the baby to divert attention from vendors in the Barcelona metropolitan area. They would buy low-value items or lottery tickets, paying with a counterfeit €50 note to receive genuine change. This method allowed them to defraud 46 lottery sellers in total.
Systematic Fraud Across Barcelona Area
The suspects, who had around 20 previous arrests, operated daily in towns including L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, and Mataró. They systematically repeated their pattern, sometimes defrauding the same establishment twice on the same day, officials said.
Detectives from the Mossos d'Esquadra's Criminal Investigation Division created a map of the times and locations of the frauds. This helped them trace the suspects' movements. Victims often did not realise they had accepted fake money until their bank rejected the notes when depositing their takings.
Fake Notes from Southern Italy
Following their investigation, officers searched the couple's flat and seized 56 counterfeit notes. The fake currency was identified as belonging to the new Europa series of the euro, originating from the black market in southern Italy. These particular notes featured imitated tactile marks, which the European Central Bank considers especially dangerous.
The arrests aim to disrupt the flow of these specific counterfeit notes in Catalonia. Police continue to advise businesses to be vigilant when handling large denomination notes, particularly €50 notes, and to check for security features.
