THREE people have been arrested and fake notes and counterfeiting equipment seized following a police raid in Stawell on Saturday morning.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The raid on the Gertrude Street property was the culmination of a prolonged investigation into the circulation of counterfeit money in the region.
Police from Stawell, Ararat, Northern Grampians Highway Patrol, Northern Grampians Family Violence Unit and Ararat Crime Investigation Unit were all involved in the raid which occurred just after 9am.
Three people were arrested at the scene and taken to the Stawell Police Station where they were questioned over the matter.
While one person, a 50-year-old Stawell man was eventually released, two others were refused bail and remanded in custody.
Of the two remanded, one was a 17-year-old Stawell male.
He was charged with 12 offences including obtain property by deception and produce counterfeit money.
He has spent the weekend in custody and will appear at a children's court at a later date.
The other alleged offender, a 20-year-old Stawell woman has been charged with 16 offences including obtain property by deception and produce counterfeit money.
She faced the Ballarat Magistrates' Court yesterday.
The 50-year-old Stawell man was charged with three offences including obtain property by deception and produce counterfeit money.
He was released on bail to appear at the Stawell Magistrates' Court on January 7, 2015.
Another woman at the address was spoken to by police but was not arrested.
Several items of interest were also seized including 24 counterfeit notes of various denominations totalling $1220.
Equipment used in the production of those notes was also taken by investigators.
Police Sergeant Kris Hamilton said the arrests followed a five week influx of reports of counterfeit money in the western region.
"Police have been advised of at least 10 incidents in Horsham, 10 in Stawell and eight in Ararat," he said.
"The total value of these 28 reported incidents exceeds $2000.
"Unfortunately intelligence suggests the circulation of these counterfeit notes has not been restricted to the western region and after consulting with the Australian Federal Police people are warned to be vigilant when dealing with cash.
"Make sure you check the notes integrity by analysing its characteristics. Should any thing appear abnormal, contact police immediately."