Europol, SPAK hit money laundering network, total 27m euros krypovaluta

The operation has led to the arrest of nine individuals and the seizure of 27m euros in cryptovaluta, as well as other luxury items.

The investigation has uncovered a secret banking network that provided services to launder illegal money through cryptoids.

One of the main findings in the investigation has been the identification of a member of a Albanian-based criminal group that facilitated the transfer of large sums of money through crypto notes. This person has operated as part of a network operating in Albania and that was under the supervision of an international money laundering network linked to other criminal groups in Bulgaria, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands and the US.

This operation is a follow-up operation “Gorgon”, July and August, where the clan “Cheopja” was hit in Elbasan.

In August, in Albania, the joint operation was coded under the name “Gorgon” ) monstrous figures according to Greek mythology, with Medusa as their best known representative.

The SPAK suggested at that time that it had issued 33 arrest warrants against alleged members of a criminal organisation, which is headed according to investigators from the two Franz and Hajdar Copja brothers.

The SPAK reported that out of 33 warrants, 13 were executed in Albania, while 2 persons were arrested abroad.

How Europol cleared up the money laundering scheme?

In 2021 the Spanish authorities seized a large amount of money during a home search under an investigation into cocaine trafficking. Some five - dollar bills were found with handwritten inscriptions offering important information on those who coordinated the financial aspect of drug trafficking. Spain's Guardia Civil delivered this information to Europol, which analysed it in line with data from previous investigations in EncroChat and Sky ECC cases. As a result of these tests, a co-ordinator was identified who offered underground banking services for a South African-based criminal network and linked to another network operating by Dubai. This individual, British citizen, was arrested on September 12, 2022.

To deepen the investigation, authorities implemented a detailed analysis of the data to identify other individuals involved and to design the complete structure of the criminal network. This close co-operation between Europol, the Civil Guardia and the Europol Operational Task Force led to the distribution of a host of intelligence information. Given these findings, a co-ordinated action was carried out on November 4th, 2024 in Malaga, Spain, which included law enforcement authorities from Belgium, Bulgaria, the Netherlands and the United States.