February 09 - Following investigations into a criminal group suspected of laundering at least EUR 306 million of illicit profits from drug trafficking and other crimes, 13 people have been arrested in France and Romania. Investigations coordinated through a joint investigation team at Eurojust revealed that the group had been operating in France and Romania between 2018 and 2024. Consisting of dozens of members operating from Romania and France, the criminal group is suspected of having laundered illicit profits from crimes such as drug trafficking. They set up a sophisticated international operation involving multiple legal entities in France, which they took over and used to channel large sums of money into their own bank accounts. The group also created a financial circuit involving the issuance of false invoices for services between legal entities, thereby reducing those companies’ taxable income.

February 09 - A money laundering scandal involving luxury real estate in Dubai has implicated not only criminal circles but also former members of Spanish law enforcement. For Spain, this case has raised alarm bells: criminal networks are able to infiltrate even the most secure sectors, using international schemes and luxury assets to conceal billions in profits. The fallout from these revelations could transform the way the country combats organized crime and financial offenses.Источник: https://russpain.com/en/news-3/investigation-uncovers-money-laundering-scheme-through-luxury-real-estate-in-dubai-387471

February 09 - On January 30, Turkish authorities announced the freezing of over $500 million in assets belonging to Veysel Sahin, who is accused of operating an illegal gambling platform and engaging in money laundering. Istanbul’s Chief Public Prosecutor revealed that an unnamed cryptocurrency company carried out the freeze at the request of the Turkish government. That company is Tether Holdings SA, the issuer of the USDT stablecoin, which has a market capitalization of $185 billion. Recently, Tether has actively assisted governments worldwide in combating various cryptocurrency-related crimes, including money laundering, drug trafficking, and sanctions evasion.

February 08 - A casino patron who says he was dealt a bad hand when the B.C. Lottery Corp. placed him on a list of suspected money launderers took a gamble the courts would reverse the decision — but a judge has said no dice. Ali Ghotaymi asked the B.C. Supreme Court to overturn the BCLC’s decision to require him to provide proof of where he got the large amounts of cash he was gambling with at the River Rock Casino.

February 04 - The European Union's new agency formed to fight dirty money said on Wednesday it was on track to be fully operational in 2028, as it set out its plan to tackle emerging illicit finance risks including crypto and "novel payment channels". The Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA) is being established in Frankfurt, creating the first Europe-wide body to fight illegal financial flows.