The National Republican Guard (GNR) announced on Friday night that two men caught with over half a million euros in counterfeit notes in the municipality of Guarda are now subject to coercive measures, requiring periodic appearances at their local police station.

This morning, the GNR issued a statement detailing that the two men, aged 43 and 45, were arrested in flagrante delicto for “uttering counterfeit currency” during a routine inspection last Wednesday.

After appearing before the Judicial Court of Guarda for the imposition of coercive measures, the older man is required to report to the local police station once a week, while the younger man must do so three times a week.

The arrests occurred “during an interrogation of a vehicle marked for seizure as part of a trust abuse case,” during which the officers noticed the individuals “behaving suspiciously,” according to the GNR.

A security search of the two men and their vehicle revealed “several bags containing a large number of notes, predominantly in denominations of 50, 100, and 200 euros, amounting to approximately 505,000 euros.”

“Given the color, texture, and watermark, the notes are allegedly counterfeit, leading to their seizure for further examination,” the GNR stated.

In addition to the counterfeit notes, the GNR seized four mobile phones and a vehicle.