Europol and Guardia Civil smash drug gang operation

Europol together with the Spanish Guardia Civil, and the Belgian Federal  Judicial Police Leuven (Federale Gerechtelijke Politie Leuven), have disrupted a huge money laundering and underground banking system.

A press release by Europol on Thursday, April 13, confirmed that more than €180 million in illegal profits resulting from cocaine trafficking had been laundered by an organised crime network, which consisted of Spanish, Moroccan, and Belgian nationals.

The criminals had set up a complex and professional system to launder illicit profits that had come from importing cocaine through ports and airports into the EU.

The drug gang network was active in Belgium and branched out into Spain, the Netherlands, South America and Dubai.

In March 2023, combined law enforcement teams arrested a suspect in Spain, and five suspects in Belgium, and confiscated numerous criminal assets.

The criminal network had used an underground banking system, using investments in cryptocurrencies.

The money was mostly laundered through investments in luxury real estate projects within the EU and several cities in Morocco.

Investigations began in October 2021, after authorities successfully deciphered SKY ECC messages revealing a large-scale criminal network importing cocaine and money laundering.

Cocaine was brought from certain South American ports to maritime ports and airports inside Europe.

The gang successfully imported several tonnes of cocaine and sold it for massive profits. The criminal organisation cleverly used cover companies, and evaded detection until the decryption of the SKY ECC network.

Since March 2022, Europol provided analytical and operational support, with a money-laundering expert, an analyst and a cryptocurrency specialist.

An Operational Task Force was also founded to tackle criminal organisations acting as underground banks, which enabled them to finance criminal activities and launder illicit profits of other criminal organisations.

A Joint Coordination Centre was established in Leuven, Belgium, where members of Europol and the Spanish Guardia Civil were deployed On a coordinated action day.

The combined operation’s success resulted in: 

• 6 persons arrested in Belgium and Spain
• EUR 1.2 million in cryptocurrencies seized
• 7 real estate properties seized
• EUR 50 000 in cash, one luxury car, several luxury watches and jewellery seized
• 23 phones, three safe boxes, and a money counting machine seized