Fourteen people were arrested in Spain and Portugal in a series of raids that target a 1 -euro criminal (828 billion pounds), a money laundering network with gangs across Europe.
Most suspected, detained last month, are Russian citizens, according to the EU EU Law Agency.
The ring was mostly laundering money from illegal drug trafficking and charged 2-3% of commission per transfer as part of a “real multinational money laundering company” to the Spanish national police.
Nine real estate was carried out in cities throughout Spain, as well as the Portuguese capital of Lisbon, and more than 1 million euros were seized in cash and cryptocurrencies.
The gang operated in cities throughout Spain, and each office processes as much as 300,000 euros a day for Albanian, Serbian, Armenian, Chinese, Ukrainian and Colombian mafia based in the EU and elsewhere.
The investigation began in 2023 when police noticed that several famous members of the Russian mafia systematically convey the money that belongs to foreign UI nationals daily outside Spain.
Europol said the scheme used the Hawala method that includes customers in one location approaching a broker, which then contacts a colleague in another place that transfers the desired amount to the recipient.
This enabled gangs to transfer money in countries without moving it or physically or digitally between bank accounts.
The gang also studied the extension of her business to Cuba with the aim of installing solar panels to ensure the energy of the Cuban government in exchange for minerals.
During a phone call with Cuban officials, gang members claimed they had close ties with Spanish political leaders.
Each of Madrid’s properties, Málagi, Marbella, Torremolinos, Coín, Ayamonte and Lisbon contained safe security and a money counting machine stored in a sound -resistant cabinet closet that darkens the recognizable noise of cash counter.
Gang members avoided discovering regularly changing location and vehicles and using encrypted mobile phones.
The phones were connected in such a way that a member of the group would be arrested, mobile phones of the entire ring would be locked at the same time.
Police say three leaders remain in custody and say other arrests are possible.
