Police break gang distributing fake money

Police break gang distributing fake money

Czech police said Monday they have broken up an international gang that has allegedly distributed hundreds of thousands counterfeit U.S. dollars in US$100 bills.

Police spokeswoman Blanka Kosinova said a total of 13 people from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, the former Soviet Union and the former Yugoslavia were charged with forgery and face up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

The fake money, of "very good quality," was not printed in Europe, Kosinova said. She said police also confiscated forged documents, guns and "a large sum of money" during raids last week in the Czech cities of Prague, Brno and Teplice.

The gang had been involved in criminal activity on Czech territory since 2004, Kosinova said. She did not have more details.