An international network accused of laundering money was dismantled, the Spanish police announced on Wednesday. Among the 17 people arrested, one was in Belgium.
According to Europol, which participated in the operation, 15 of them were arrested in Spain and the other one in Austria and Belgium.
The alleged traffickers, accused of money laundering and being part of a criminal organisation, "are mainly of Chinese and Syrian nationality," the European agency said in a statement.
According to Spanish police, they laundered a total of €19 million between June 2022 and September 2024.
At the time of their arrest, €205,000 in cash was seized, along with €183,000 in cryptocurrencies, 18 vehicles, real estate and contraband cigars worth more than €600,000.
The investigation began with the dismantling of a migrant smuggling network between Algeria and Spain.
According to a police statement, the network "had two distinct branches: one of Arab origin, which was responsible for receiving money from around the world, and one of Chinese origin, which supplied the money in Spain" in exchange for cryptocurrencies.
The head of the network was based in Belgium and was responsible for bringing the two branches in Spain together.
The suspect is also suspected of coordinating numerous other money laundering operations involving human trafficking and drug trafficking, said Chief Inspector Encarna Ortega of the National Police.
