Italy police seize 28 mln euros worth of fake train tickets

Italian police and customs officials said Tuesday they had seized over two million fake train tickets, produced in China, with a market value of over 28 million euros ($35 million).

The tickets were for journeys from Rome's central train station, Termini, to Fiumicino airport, Italy's financial police said in a statement.

"This large quantity of fake tickets -- the likes of which we have not seen before on Italy's counterfeit scene -- were hidden in a container coming from China, which was seized as it was unloaded at the port in Livorno," it said.

Images from scanners revealed that the contents of the container did not match up to the declarations made to customs officials. Police found 29 boxes of fake tickets hidden inside the container, behind boxes of furniture.

Italian media reports said a Chinese businessman based in Tuscany was behind the scam.

AFP