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Keep it in the family
Wouldn’t it be good to make your own money? Or would it? Well, a family in East London did just that and found out that they had to pay a high price for it! It sounds like a dream – printing millions of £20 and €50 notes. No need to ever go to a bank again! Unfortunately, for this particular family the dream has ended in prison sentences for all of them.
This illegal operation was the biggest that the police have ever seen in the UK. Over 14 million pounds’ worth of fake bank notes have been recovered and they think that this ‘family business’ was producing over 66% of all fake bank notes in the UK. There could be many, many more. Only the family know how many notes are still out there and they’re not going to tell anyone. It was a very large, complicated, and successful business!
The public have become interested in this story because of the family aspect. Four generations of the same family were part of the operation. The ages ranged from 23 to 85 and included grandchildren, parents, grandparents and even a great-grandmother! The great-grandmother, who was 85, lived in special accommodation for older people and the police found £22,000 of notes in a plastic bag on top of her kitchen cupboard, ready to be distributed!
This forgery business was very well organized. It was run like a real business and each person had his / her place. They used very high-tech equipment to print and cut the fake notes and they had 20 different sites to keep the money, such as the great-grandmother’s kitchen. The police watched the operation secretly for over four months before they arrested the gang.
At the trial the judge told the public that they shouldn’t feel sorry for people like this. They are organized criminals and they are stealing from everyone and hurting the economy. However, a lot of people have a secret admiration for the family. Is this a worrying fact or is it human nature? I wonder.
