By AML Intelligence Correspondent
FIVE members of an alleged Chinese criminal network said to have been able to smuggle over €1 million a day have been arrested in Spain.
Europol, the European law enforcement agency led by director Catherine de Bolle, said that dozens of searches on homes and commercial buildings were carried out during July 2 and July 3.
“The searches involved some hundred Spanish police officers who were supported on the ground by French Judicial Customs investigators and Europol experts,” the agency said.
“The searches took place in Madrid, Valencia, Alicante, and Barcelona.”
Europol said the alleged “head” of the criminal gang was among those arrested as part of the operation, which also resulted in nearly €160,000 in cash being seized.
“Composed of Chinese nationals, the criminal network is believed to have been operating across Europe since at least 2019,” Europol said.
“This prolific criminal network is believed to have had the capacity to smuggle over one million euros in cash per day.”
Officials said the cash was sourced “from a number of illegal activities”, including the trafficking of counterfeit goods, tax and customs fraud and prostitution.
“The criminal network relied on a sophisticated network of logistic experts who would facilitate the movement of the cash across Europe,” Europol said.
The investigation was initiated in February 2021 by the French authorities.
French Customs in Perpignan, a city in southern France near the Spanish border, seized more than half a million euros in cash hidden in a vehicle equipped with a concealed compartment.
Europol said the operation “was carried out with the financial support of the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats”.
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