The forged notes were discovered in a house in Newtownabbey on Tuesday by the Police Service of Northern Ireland's Serious Crime Squad.

When officers raided the house the illegal printing operation was still under way.

The currencies included euro, Bank of England notes and local bank notes.

Searches

Detectives said it was a "major counterfeiting operation using sophisticated technology".

Detective Constable Geoff Allen said: "All the facilities were there to produce a large quantity of counterfeit bank notes.

"The fact that the whole range of notes were there when we arrived would be a worrying factor."

He said there was no evidence of paramilitary involvement in the case.

The police have said they will conduct further searches and believe they may come across more forged banknotes.