Alert Pharmacist Helps Catch Dutch Counterfeiters
A routine purchase of a roll of medical tape at a pharmacy in Mechelen has led to the arrest of three Dutch nationals suspected of circulating counterfeit €50 notes across Flanders. The suspects were apprehended on Friday after an alert pharmacy employee detected a fake banknote and immediately notified police, according to VRT NWS.
A Small Purchase, A Major Discovery
On the afternoon of Friday, September 4, a man entered a pharmacy on Nekkerspoelstraat in Mechelen and attempted to pay for a small roll of medical tape worth just a few euros with a €50 banknote. The pharmacy employee quickly recognized the note as counterfeit and confronted the customer, who immediately left the store without completing the purchase.
“But the note turned out to be fake. When the pharmacy employee pointed this out to the customer, he left the store,” police spokesperson Dirk Van de Sande of Politiezone Rivierenland told HLN.
The pharmacy worker wasted no time in alerting the police, who immediately began searching the surrounding area. Officers soon spotted a vehicle on a public parking lot in the same street with three occupants, one of whom matched the description provided by the pharmacy employee.
34 Counterfeit Notes Seized
Upon searching the vehicle and its occupants, police discovered 34 counterfeit €50 banknotes with a total face value of approximately €1,700, along with €1,241 in genuine cash. The suspects—a 42-year-old woman and two men aged 32 and 50, all of Dutch nationality—were taken to the police station for further questioning.
“But also 34 counterfeit 50 euro notes,” Van de Sande confirmed regarding the seizure.
The investigation revealed that the group had earlier that same day also paid with a counterfeit €50 note at a chip shop (frituur) on the same street in Mechelen. Police say the suspects can now be linked to at least nine similar incidents of passing counterfeit money across Flanders.
“Initial investigation has already shown that earlier that day, the counterfeit money was used to pay at a chip shop on Nekkerspoelstraat,” Van de Sande explained. “But they also struck in the rest of Flanders. They can already be linked to at least nine incidents.”
Legal Proceedings
The trio appeared before the investigating judge at the Mechelen courthouse on Sunday, September 6. The judge ordered both men to be detained in prison, while the woman was released after questioning. The case is being handled by the Antwerp public prosecutor’s office, and the investigation remains ongoing.
A Persistent Problem: The Counterfeit €50 Note
The €50 note remains by far the most counterfeited denomination in Belgium. According to the National Bank of Belgium, 8,559 counterfeit €50 notes were seized in the country in 2025, representing 56.32% of all counterfeit banknotes confiscated. In total, 15,198 counterfeit banknotes were seized in Belgium last year, with a combined nominal value of €743,995—a 5.9% increase from 2024.
The National Bank emphasizes that counterfeiting remains very limited relative to the more than 600 million genuine euro banknotes processed annually at its cash center. Still, incidents involving fake €50 notes continue to surface across the country. In March 2026, a customer at a café on the Oude Markt in Leuven was caught trying to pay with a counterfeit €50 note on two consecutive nights, as VRT NWS reported. Local authorities in Diegem similarly warned businesses about counterfeit €50 notes circulating in 2024.
Vigilance Pays Off
The Mechelen case highlights the critical role that attentive shopkeepers and employees play in combating currency counterfeiting. The quick thinking of the pharmacy employee not only prevented a fraudulent transaction but also led to the dismantling of what police describe as a coordinated operation spanning multiple regions of Flanders.
Authorities advise anyone who suspects they have received a counterfeit banknote not to keep or re-circulate it, as doing so is a criminal offense. Suspected notes should be handed in to police, a bank, or the National Bank of Belgium in Brussels.
As the investigation into the Dutch trio continues, this case serves as a reminder that counterfeit currency remains a persistent challenge—and that a single alert citizen can make all the difference.