Istanbul police seized 3.6 million counterfeit euros. One person has been detained on suspicion of distributing them, TV channel TRT Haber reported. The operation to combat the circulation of counterfeit currency was carried out in the areas of Fatih and Zeitinburno in the European part of the city.
Earlier it was reported that the prosecutor's office in Istanbul has launched an investigation into the spread of reports in the media about the influx of counterfeit dollars into Turkey. According to the newspaper Ekonomim, their total amount may exceed 1 billion. USD, a significant portion of the banknotes are of 50 USD denomination, and therefore exchange offices and banks have temporarily stopped working with these notes, as well as with the old 100 USD.
According to experts, most of the counterfeit dollars are imported into Turkey from Syria, Iran and the Balkans. According to Ekonomim, the first counterfeit currency transaction took place in the city of Gaziantep, bordering Syria, and counterfeit dollars were also found in the tourist destinations of Antalya, Izmir, Istanbul and Ankara.
The Central Bank of Turkey has taken a number of measures to prevent the circulation of counterfeit currency in the republic and is coordinating its activities with law enforcement agencies conducting relevant investigations.
"In order to prevent counterfeit foreign currency from circulating, the means of counting money, their control and the ATMs used are checked and updated. The central bank is coordinating work to combat counterfeit currency with law enforcement authorities, the regulator said in a statement.
Earlier it was reported that the prosecutor's office in Istanbul has launched an investigation into the spread of information in the media about the flow of counterfeit dollars into Turkey.