DUBAI // Three men caught with more than half a billion in counterfeit euros will each spend two years in jail after being convicted by Dubai Criminal Court.
Croatian A T, 49, compatriot S T, 36, and Macedonian S P, 52, had €547 million (Dh2.18 billion) in fake €500 bills at their hotel when they were arrested.
Prosecutors said Indian salesman A M, 36, who works for a money-transfer business, was given €100,000 to be changed into Indian rupees and sent to India. A M called compatriot S J, 30, to arrange the delivery of the cash in India, because it was more than six million rupees.
“S J called me on August 29 last year about the cash and, after I had someone deliver it [the rupees], he called me and informed me that the man who has the euros will meet with us in a hotel in Dubai,” said A M. He said he met two men at a hotel in Muraqqabat.
The three of them then headed to a meeting room, where A M was given the euros in an envelope by one of the men, whom he was told was an Italian. A M then left the hotel and met S J, who was waiting in a car outside with Indian S R, 43.
“I opened the envelope and noticed the money was fake. They blamed me for not double checking the notes and then we returned to the hotel to look for the Italian who handed me the money,” A M said.
Police learnt that the Italian was in fact one of the two Croatian defendants.
Prosecutors said A T, S T and S P were tracked down to their room at the Marriott hotel in Al Sufouh and arrested. The three will all be deported after serving their terms.
salamir@thenational.ae
