14 minutes agoOne of Europe's Most Wanted People Arrested
Periskopi(4 years ago)
(4 years ago)Spanish police have arrested one of the most wanted suspects in Europe for money laundering. The news has become known about international media from Europol, but without confirming its identity. The fugitive with dual Irish-British citizenship was arrested Monday in the southern town of Malaga after a several-month operation. He is accused [...]
Spanish police have arrested one of the most wanted suspects in Europe for money laundering. The news has become known about international media from Europol, but without confirming its identity.
The fugitive with dual Irish-British citizenship was arrested Monday in the southern town of Malaga after a several-month operation. He is accused of clearing more than 200m euros in illegal money for criminal organisations worldwide.
The money was allegedly transferred using the underground hawala banking system, which does not register any physical monetary transactions.
Officials launched investigations in early 2021 after Spanish authorities seized 200kg of cocaine and 500,000 euros of cash, which were found hidden in the secret divisions of a number of vehicles.
Two other persons were also arrested in Spain and one in the United Kingdom, while 11 properties were searched, Europol said in a statement. One of the suspects was car dealers allegedly offering vehicles to criminal organisations.
The key suspect and his associates were responsible for collecting large amounts of cash prepared by criminal organisations, which would then be handed over to other criminal organisations in other countries”, the agency said.
A source close to the investigation told AFP that the prime suspect was 62-year-old John Francis Morrissey, but Europol has not confirmed his identity, writes A2Con. The agency stated that the detainee is linked to the alleged Irish organised crime boss Daniel Chinaan's international cartel, which has been sanctioned by the US.
“in April of this year, this person and his company were designated by the US Treasury Department for providing support to the Chinaan” clan, Europol said. The key “suspect was considered a high-value target from Europol for his involvement in a number of high-profile criminal issues across Europe”.
The 18-month investigation was conducted by Spain's Guardia Civil, along with the National United Kingdom Crime Agency, Dutch Police and Irish Guard.
