The National Police on Wednesday has reported the arrest of 17 “clandestine bankers” to which they place in one of the “most powerful international organizations.” The arrested are part of a criminal organization directed from Belgium that managed to move 18.7 million euros of money that came from human beings trafficking crimes or drug trafficking in just two years.
The investigation, led by a Court of Almeria and promoted by the Prosecutor’s Office, is the continuation of a 2023 operation against irregular immigration. Of the 17 detainees, 15 have entered prison as presumed responsible for crimes of belonging to criminal organization and money laundering. The known arrests were performed on January 14 during a large device in which 250 agents participated and in which simultaneous records occurred in Belgium, Madrid, Valencia, Malaga, Almería and Cádiz. During the intervention, the instructor judge and the prosecutor followed the proceedings in real time, something very rare, and which expedited the police action.
Among those investigated there are three police “high value objectives” – which at least two Europol member countries consider “high risk” – of which two have been arrested. The leader of the organization, arrested in Belgium and Jordanian Palestine nationality, is still pending to be delivered to the Spanish authorities.
The organization resorted to the method of Hawala, An ancient informal money transfer system based on trust and personal relationships, which organizations resort more and more frequently as an alternative to bleach benefits and also for the fear of these organizations to suffer robberies from other criminals, which in police argot are called dumps.
In the first police investigation, baptized Orontes and led by the central unit of illegal immigration networks and falsehoods (UCRIF), a group that irregularly brought immigrants from the coast of Algeria to Almería was dismantled. Each immigrant reported between 10,000 and 12,000 euros and estimate that they brought between 800 and 1,000 people, for which the researchers attributed about ten million benefits. The inquiries continued following the money trail and formed a research group to which the Economic and Fiscal Crime Unit (UDEF) joined, specifically the capital laundering section, and which has also had the collaboration of Europol.
Research to bankers He received the name of Karasu, one of the tributaries of the Orontes River, which Syria crosses. The main investigators have explained on Wednesday at the Canillas Police Complex and have influenced the importance of blocking the economic resources of organized crime.
The leader of the organization, located in Belgium, directed a group in which two branches collaborated, a led by citizens of Chinese origin, settled in Madrid, who was responsible for giving financing, and another of Arab origin, which managed money transfers, received cash in tin and reinvested the profits obtained by the commissions, which ranged between 1% and 3% of the money. According to the researchers, they came to announce their money transfer company in networks.
Researchers have accredited 32 operations worth more than 5.5 million euros in just three months. Only in one of the addresses used to receive and transfer funds moved 18.7 million euros in just two years, between June 2022 and September 2024, they have set as an example.
In the operation, 205,000 euros have been intervened in cash, plus 183,000 euros in cryptocurrencies, 18 vehicles valued at more than 207,000 euros, ten buildings valued at more than 2.5 million euros, pure for a amount exceeding 622,000 euros or high -end bags that exceed 230,0000 euros. These last articles were used to launder money obtained from their illicit activities, as they have explained.
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