Italian authorities say forgers tried to sell fake Picasso, Modiglianis and others with help of complicit auction houses.

Some 38 people across are under investigation on suspicion of conspiracy to handle stolen goods, forgery, and illegal sale of artworks.

Italian authorities say they have dismantled a network of European art forgers who made fake Warhols, Banksys and Picassos and then tried to sell them with the help of complicit auction houses

Investigators discovered six forgery workshops and seized more than 2,100 fake artworks with a potential market value of about $215 million.

The investigation so far spans Italy, Spain, France and Belgium, with suspects under investigation for conspiracy to handle stolen goods, forgery and illegal sale of artworks. News of the investigation was jointly announced by the paramilitary Carabinieri art squad and the Pisa prosecutors’ office and first reported by Reuters.