Police believe forgery ring made €6 mln from selling bogus art works

Five people on Crete are facing charges related to making up to €6 million by selling forged art works, attributed to well-known artists, to private individuals, collectors and auction houses overseas, following an investigation by police.

The investigation of the five followed an incident in Sofia, Bulgaria, in February when authorities prevented the sale of a fake painting for €12 million.

In searches that followed in houses and a warehouse in Attica, 10 paintings, seals, documents, certificates of authenticity and a metal oven for aging art works were found and confiscated.

Experts deemed the paintings found in Attica to be entirely forged.

The subsequent investigation found that the gang selling the paintings had been operational since at least 2014.

The alleged members of the forgery gang range in age from 35 to 69 years.