A suitcase abandoned beside recycling containers in central Porto, Portugal, was found to contain 7,350 counterfeit 200-euro banknotes, with a face value of 1,470,000 euros, police said.
The bag was discovered on Saturday, August 22, 2026, on Rua do Almada, when a passerby noticed the luggage and alerted the Polícia de Segurança Pública (PSP), Portugal's national police force responsible for public order.
Officers who responded to the scene carried out an initial inspection and found that the nominal value of the cash far exceeded one million euros, though the notes showed signs of being fake. All of the bills were of the same 200-euro denomination.
Case passed to criminal investigators
The PSP said it had transferred the case to its Criminal Investigation division, which will now carry out the procedural steps required, according to a police statement cited by the Portuguese outlet O Minho. That step opens the search for the owner of the suitcase and for the possible route the money took before it was abandoned.
Investigators will need to establish the gap between the printed value of the notes and their real value, something that will be key to determining the scope of the case. It also remains to be clarified whether all of the bills are counterfeit or whether genuine currency was mixed in among them, a possibility that has surfaced in other cash and jewellery theft investigations. For now, the printed sum in Porto is not equivalent to valid money.
Unanswered questions
The information released so far does not say whether any arrests have been made or whether a suspect has been identified. It also does not detail the intended destination of the notes or the outcome of any forensic examination.
Investigators will have to determine whether the suitcase was part of a scam, a hidden stash, or the result of an abandonment linked to other criminal activity.
