France Arrests Three, Raids their Fake Documents Labs

Published: 20 June 2020

forgery

Holographic band. (Photo: Europol).

By Sandrine Gagné-Acoulon

French authorities have arrested three suspected members of a criminal network that produced fake documents for migrants and raided their two labs in Paris, Europol reported on Thursday.

 Operating from Paris and Marseille, the network is said to have spanned across Europe, providing migrant smugglers with fake driving licences and identity cards.

The group was composed of Algerian nationals and was active since last year, Europol said. 

Apart from operating their labs, the suspects established connections with forgers in Belgium, France, Italy and Spain. Europol said the members were in the beginning collecting stolen and lost documents. 

Police and border officials seized technical equipment such as thermal retransfer printers, laminators, blank plastic supports, holographic bands as well as counterfeited IDs.