International money laundering network dismantled in Europe by Spanish and French police

The investigation began after French customs officers discovered more than 500,000 euros hidden in a cache inside a vehicle near Perpignan in February 2021.

Spanish and French police announced on Friday, July 5, the dismantling of an international network made up of Chinese nationals capable of laundering one million euros per day throughout Europe, and the arrest in Spain of five people, including the head of this network.

The investigation, led by the French National Anti-Fraud Office and the Spanish police with the support of Europol, began after the discovery in February 2021 near Perpignan (Pyrénées-Orientales) by French customs officers of more than 500,000 euros hidden in a cache inside a vehicle.

Under the authority of a magistrate of the specialized interregional jurisdiction of Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône), she allowed “to reveal the existence of an organisation specialising in money laundering operating across all Member States of the European Union since at least 2019”specifies a joint press release published in France.

This network, made up of Chinese nationals residing in several European countries, was able to smuggle more than a million euros per day in cash across Europe.

“The modus operandi was based on the existence of numerous collection points for funds, notably from counterfeit goods trafficking, tax and customs fraud and pimping. This collection was then entrusted to a network of logisticians.” who organized the “travels of accomplices responsible for transporting the sums across Europe”, according to the same source.

These money transfers were organized by road or by air, underlines another joint press release, published in Spain. Five people, including the head of the network, were arrested in Spain in this case, on a date that has not been specified, in Madrid, Valencia, Alicante and Barcelona, ​​including the head of this network, a Chinese business leader.