In January, European prosecutor’s authorities arrested 17 suspects of the “Mafia cryptographic bank”, which is said to be washing over 21 million euros (23.5 million dollars) in a cryptocurrency for criminal entities in China and the Middle East.
Money laundering services were allegedly carried out on behalf of other penalty networks involved in migrants smuggling and drug trafficking, Europol he said In a statement on May 14.
Spanish authorities he said The criminal organization carried out a secret informal money transfer system called Hawala and often received compensation in Krypto.
A total of 17 people were arrested – 15 in Spain, one in Austria and one in Belgium – while 4.5 million euros ($ 5 million) were taken over, including cash, crypto, 18 vehicles, four shotguns and several electronic devices.
From 4.5 million euros 183,000 euros (205,000 USD) appeared as a crypto. Another 421,000 euros (USD 471,000) in cash was confiscated from 77 bank accounts related to a criminal organization, which one Spanish information point described as “Mafia Crypto Bank”.
Spanish officials also claim that luxurious bags, watches and even cigars worth 876,000 euros (USD 980,000).
Europol said that arrests and asset attacks took place in January 2025 in Spain, Austria and Belgium. Over 250 officers got involved in the Spanish authorities.
Most of the arrested have already been detained
Of the 17 arrested, 15 were already trapped as alleged perpetrators of crimes related to the organization.
Most of the arrested were Chinese and Syrian nationality, guided by clients in China and the criminal world.
Related: The daughter of Crypto Exchange, the Director of Crypto, is fighting insolent hijackers in Paris
The criminal organization tried to cover up its money laundering, conducting transfer activities and even advertised these services on social media.
The investigation was conducted by a court in Almeria in Spain, which supported Europola’s efforts to coordinate Spanish and Belgian officials to dismantle a criminal organization.
Blockchain Forensics companies Kainalysis estimates that illegal cryptographic transactions amounted to USD 51.3 billion in 2024, which means an raise of 11.3% year -on -year.
Warehouse: Coins with red flags of porn star, L2 combined with Alibaba at 100,000 TPS
