Investigators working for the European Public Prosecutor’s Office carried out more than 20 searches across parts of Germany and in Poland as part of an inquiry into suspected money laundering linked to an alleged Chinese-led criminal organisation.
The searches took place on 28 April in the German states of Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia, as well as in Poland, in an investigation led by EPPO prosecutors in Munich, the EPPO announced on Thursday.
Suspects in the case are believed to be connected to a group accused of laundering money made through customs and VAT fraud. VAT is a consumption tax added to most goods and services in the EU.
The organisation said the wider group is suspected of regularly moving millions of euros in cash and is the subject of several EPPO investigations.
Seizures included cars, luxury watches and cannabis
The suspects in this investigation were identified as cash couriers linked to a “Hawala” network, which the EPPO described as an unregulated system that moves money through trusted brokers and couriers rather than formal banking channels.
Homes and company offices of the suspected couriers were searched, along with storerooms, to gather evidence about their activities and links to the alleged criminal organisation.
During the searches, authorities seized electronic devices, documents, three cars, six luxury watches, cash and several kilos of cannabis, with the assets valued at more than €1.2 million.
The measures were carried out with support from the Hesse State Criminal Police Department, the Tax Fraud Investigation Office Munich and Poland’s Internal Security Agency.
All people involved are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court, the organisation said.
