Bulgaria busts ring that made high-quality papers, banknotes

SOFIA, Bulgaria – Bulgarian authorities say they have broken a ring printing high-quality forged banknotes and documents, including a fake passport with the photo of actor Sylvester Stallone to impress prospective clients.

Prosecutors on Friday charged four Bulgarians with being part of an organized crime group making and distributing fake Bulgarian documents and counterfeit U.S. dollar and euro banknotes.

In a joint operation with Europol and the U.S. Secret Service, law enforcers raided 30 locations, prosecutors said in a statement. Six people were taken into custody after illegal printing presses and equipment for printing money and documents were found, along with large amounts of counterfeit $100 and 50-euro notes.

“Officers have also seized a Bulgarian passport with the picture of a prominent U.S. actor, which was used as a sample to show clients the high quality of their counterfeit production,” the statement said.

The prosecutor’s office posted a photo of the fake Stallone passport on its website.