20 arrests in clampdown against gang suspected of laundering EUR 10 million

20 members of an intercontinental criminal network engaged in drug trafficking and money laundering have been arrested following a large-scale operation on 6 and 7 March in Spain and Portugal. The suspects laundered more than EUR 10 million using stolen identities of Colombian, Portuguese, Spanish and Venezuelan nationals. They had also created an ad hoc network of companies capable of financing the network’s activities and laundering ill-gotten profits.

The crackdown was the result of a long-running investigation led by the Spanish Police and Spanish Regional Catalan Police, supported by Europol and also involving Portuguese authorities. During the action days, law enforcement officers carried out 13 searches that led to the seizure of:

• EUR 156 000 in cash,
• gold bars worth EUR 35 000,
• more than 50 vehicles,
• jewellery and over 30 luxury watches worth a total of EUR 500 000,
• electronic devices, such as mobile phones, and a weapon.

More than 100 bank accounts and 10 real estate properties worth over EUR 3 million were also blocked as a result of the operation.

Europol supported the investigation since September 2021 by providing operational analysis, technical expertise and operational coordination. On the action days, a money laundering specialist with a mobile office was deployed in Spain.

An investigation triggered by a cocaine seizure

The investigation began in 2018, when the police seized 1 400 kilos of cocaine hidden in a shipment from Brazil at the facilities of a company located in Sant Boi de Llobregat (Barcelona). The subsequent operation led to the arrest of several members of an illegal drug trafficking network in 2019 and 2020.

With the support of Europol, law enforcement authorities discovered that the seized shipment was part of an international drug-trafficking operation aiming at distributing the drugs not only in Spain but across the EU. The high capacity for drug distribution uncovered the necessary economic network that made it possible to finance the drug shipments.

Numerous hard-to-trace methods to launder money

The investigation revealed that the shipments were carried out by a large group of people and companies based mainly in Almería, Andalucía, Catalunya and Madrid. Authorities also uncovered that the criminals were using several complex methods to launder money, which allowed them go unnoticed for years. The most common of these was the use of money mules. The gang divided large amounts of cash into multiple small transactions made by several money mules (a practice known as ‘smurfing’). The deposits made in this way were small enough to remain under regulatory reporting limits, thus avoiding detection.

The criminals also injected money into a network of companies they controlled, simulating business relationships to justify transfers of funds. At the same time, they had frontmen for registering ownership of assets in South America and used cars with hidden compartments to transfer cash, usually on the route Barcelona – Madrid – Lisbon.

More potential arrests

The criminal organisation had been active for more than eight years. Following a meticulous three-year investigation, Spanish and Portuguese authorities coordinated this joint operation in Andalucía, Aveiro, Catalunya, Lisbon and Madrid that led to the dismantling of the gang and the arrest of its leaders. 7 of the 20 arrested have already been imprisoned; 1 in Venezuela, another in Portugal and the rest in Spain. Some of the criminals linked to the gang were already imprisoned for other drug trafficking-related crimes.

The operation is ongoing and law enforcement authorities do not rule out more arrests in the future.

Participating authorities:

• Portugal: Portuguese Judicial Police (Policia Judiciária);
• Spain: Spanish National Police (Policía Nacional); Spanish Regional Catalan Police (Mossos d'Esquadra).

Participating agencies:

• Europol
• Eurojust
• INTERPOL