Banksy ‘forgery ring’ uncovered in Spain

Spanish police have uncovered a criminal gang that they said forged and distributed works by the British street artist Banksy, with pieces selling around the world for thousands of pounds. Officers are investigating four people accused of fraud and crimes against intellectual property. They detected the sale of the works last July, spotting them on online platforms, in auction rooms and antique dealers. In August, the first inspections of the works were made to check their traceability and locate their provenance. Nine works were seized, some of which had been sold for up to €1,500 (£1,280) each. On Thursday two people were arrested in the northeastern city of Zaragoza, where the forgeries were allegedly made and two others with “knowledge of the art world”, suspected Related articles