A total of 67 million yuan ($9.8 million) in fake money is seized in Hunan. [Photo/People's Daily]

The largest bust of a counterfeit money operation in China has netted 67 million yuan ($9.8 million) in fake banknotes.

The seizure by police of Hengyang city in Hunan province also confirmed that another 140 million ($20.5 million) in fake yuan has already entered the market, People's Daily reported Monday.

The case started with an accidental capture of a coach bus (Xiang D-92682) transporting 67 million yuan in counterfeit money when it pulled into a gas station at Huadu district of Guangzhou, Guangdong province on April 27. Hengyang public security bureau immediately responded with a task force for further investigation.

The police soon were able to get two clues: Li, owner of the bus, once helped a man in Changning city of Hunan province, Zhang Liangcheng, transport 34 pieces of goods to Guangdong province at a price of 1,000 yuan. The goods were sent earlier in a black car (Xiang C-3AA98) from Changning twice. What's more, the owner of the car is Zhang's wife. So the team focused on Zhang as the prime suspect and kept track of him.

After a series of investigations, police found the counterfeit money den in Qushi village of Changning and nabbed equipment, materials for counterfeit money-making as well as other suspects, on April 30.

Zhang was seized in Zhongshang, Guangdong province on May 14 and his wife in Xiangtan of Hunan province on May 16.

With Zhang Junlin, the last suspect captured in Myanmar on May 18, the den was completely destroyed by police.

During police interrogations, Zhang Liangcheng admitted that he bought equipment with four others in August 2009, rented a house as the workplace in Qushi village, and then began to produce counterfeit money in September last year. As of April 27, 2010, the ring had produced 210 million yuan ($30.7 million) in fake money, with 140 million ($20.5 million) already flowed into the market in Guangdong.