Huge crime network forging Banksy, Warhol and Picasso uncovered in Italy.

Art seems to be a fast and infallible way to earn money for everyone except the artists themselves. During the first week of November, the Carabinieri's paramilitary squad and Pisa's public prosecutor uncovered a European criminal network specialised in the counterfeiting and distribution of works of art. The group operates in Italy, Spain, France and Belgium - at the moment, 38 individuals involved are under investigation.

Investigators seized more than 2,100 fake works of art with a potential market value of approximately USD 215 million. The criminal association seems to dabble in the production of works by great masters, both current and historical - Claude Monet, Vincent Van Gogh, Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol and Banksy are just some of the artists whose works were involved. 

During the investigation, six counterfeiting workshops were identified: two in Tuscany, one in Venice and the others in unspecified European locations. The case has been open since 2023 and finally seems to have reached a real breakthrough.