A scheme for circulating counterfeit 100 euro banknotes and preparation for robbery of a large sum of money was disrupted during an investigation by the "Economic Police" department of the Ministry of Interior's Regional Directorate - Plovdiv. Four men were detained during the operation, and a fifth was declared wanted.
The operation was carried out on Friday under the leadership of the Plovdiv District Prosecutor's Office and in coordination with employees of the regional directorates of the Ministry of Interior in Vidin, Pleven and Sliven.
The investigation began at the end of June, when information was received that counterfeit banknotes with a face value of 100 euros were being circulated in commercial establishments in Plovdiv and the Karlovy Vary region.
During the operational actions, the police reached three men from Pleven, aged 32, 28 and 25, who were driving a car with false license plates. At the same time, it became clear that the 32-year-old participant in the criminal scheme was also preparing to commit a robbery of a large sum of money from a private property in Vidin.
According to the Plovdiv Police Department, the suspect's intentions were to drug the owners - a mother and son - with sleeping pills. To carry out the robbery, he relied on two more accomplices - men aged 62 and 42.
In order to prevent the planned attack and avoid a possible danger to the life and health of the intended victims, an organization was created on Friday for the simultaneous detention of the suspects.
Four of the men were taken into police custody by orders under the Interior Ministry Act, and the fifth was declared wanted, as he was absconding from the police. Within the framework of the operation, searches, inspections and interrogations of witnesses were carried out in the territories of Vidin, Pleven and Sliven districts.
Among the seized evidence are illegally possessed firearms with erased identification numbers and ammunition. The police also found medications, the content and purpose of which are yet to be established through an expert examination.
By a decree of the Plovdiv District Prosecutor's Office on Saturday, three of the detainees were brought as defendants.
The investigation into the case continues under the supervision of the supervising prosecutor.