Category: Portugal

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Successful operation against cryptocurrency scam coordinated by Eurojust

Source: Eurojust

A coordinated operation to uncover an intricate cryptocurrency scam led to the arrest of a suspect in France. The investigation in Portugal, France, Germany, Italy and Romania, supported by Eurojust and Europol, revealed that the suspects were using a scam method known as ‘rip deals’ that caused losses of EUR 700 000 to Portuguese victims.

Scammers using the ’rip deal’ method trick their victims into exchanging money via a fraudulent money exchange programme, which they then use to steal the victim’s assets.

Investigations revealed that the suspects scammed victims across Europe, including in Austria, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland. The suspects would approach their victims by expressing an interest in acquiring commercial businesses. After gaining their trust and convincing them to install crypto asset wallets, the suspects would steal the victim’s funds.

In the next phase of the scam, other members of the organised crime group would launder the proceeds of the fraud by moving them through several crypto assets. This made it difficult to trace the proceeds.

The investigation, spanning several years, culminated in an action day supported by Eurojust and Europol. During the operation, carried out simultaneously in France, Germany, Italy, and Romania, one suspect was arrested and several houses were searched. Authorities froze multiple bank accounts and seized material goods such as equipment containing information on the scam.

Eurojust supported the investigation by enabling cooperation between the countries involved in the operation. The coordination meeting at Eurojust helped the authorities to exchange information and prepare for the action day. Additionally, Eurojust supported the execution of European Investigation Orders (EIOs), European Arrest Warrants (EAWs), and freezing orders.

The following authorities were involved in the coordinated operation:

  • Portugal: Regional Department for Criminal Investigation and Prosecution of Coimbra; Judicial Police
  • France: Judiciary Tribunal of Bobigny; National Police 93
  • Germany: Public Prosecutor’s Office Darmstadt; ZK32 at Criminal Directorate Offenbach, Southeast Hesse Police
  • Italy: Public Prosecutor Office in Milan; Italian State Police – Cyber Security Operations Centre “Lombardia” in Milan
  • Romania: Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism – Territorial Structure Timișoara; Romanian Police, Office of Combating Organised Crime Timisoara – Unit Combating Informatics Crimes.
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Eurojust helps tackle massive fraud of EUR 645 million with medicinal cannabis plants across Europe

Source: Eurojust

In Germany, France and Spain alone, over 4 500 victims have lodged formal complaints against the fraudsters, who set up a crowd-funding programme to raise a minimum of EUR 50 per investor for the development of medicinal cannabis plants. In reality, no cannabis plants were ever bought, although the organisers of the scheme pretended to work with legitimate and licensed enterprises that would cultivate them. The fraud ran from at least January 2020 to July 2022.

The entire scheme had the character of a pyramid or ‘Ponzi fraud’ and promised extremely high returns on investment. Investigations in Germany and Spain, later followed by counterparts in other countries across Europe, showed that investors had been only partially paid.

Most of the invested money was used to pay affiliates, keep the scheme running and expand the fraud through extensive online campaigns. For this purpose and to launder the proceeds, a web of international enterprises was used. The scheme itself appears to have been run by a Russian criminal network, with an affiliated German-based crime group.

Victims in Germany and Spain claim to have lost at least EUR 51.5 million, but the total investment is estimated to be close to EUR 645 million. In total, around 550 000 participants worldwide were registered as online investors, most of them European citizens. Around 186 000 participants transferred funds, either via cryptocurrencies or bank transfers.

Since 2022, Eurojust has been extensively supporting the national authorities, including assisting the German, Spanish and French authorities in setting up and funding the JIT. This led to a successful Joint Action Day coordinated at Eurojust.

At the request of the German and Spanish authorities, in recent days operational actions against the criminal networks were also carried out in Estonia, Latvia, Italy, Malta, Poland, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the Dominican Republic. The French authorities made a decisive contribution to the analysis of crypto flows during the investigations and took part in searches in Germany and Spain on the action day.

Europol supported this massive cross-border investigation from the outset, taking the lead in operational coordination and providing tailored analytical support. Furthermore, Europol shared results of the financial investigations as well as other intelligence with the involved countries. On the action day, Europol deployed officers with mobile offices to various locations worldwide.

During the action days, over thirty places were also searched and for several millions of Euros in crypto assets and bank accounts were frozen. Also real estate properties, luxury vehicles, artwork, cash and various luxury items were seized, as well as large numbers of electronic devices and documents.

The operations were carried out on the ground at request of and by:

  • Germany: Public Prosecutor’s Office Berlin; Criminal Investigation Department Berlin (LKA)
  • Spain: Central Investigative Judge no. 6 at the Audiencia Nacional; National Police (Policia Nacional – UDEF Central Brigade against Economic Crime, Financial Fraud Group)
  • France: Paris’ Prosecutor’s Office JUNALCO (National Jurisdiction against Organised Crime); Gendarmerie Nationale (Research Section Rennes)
  • Estonia: Office of the Prosecutor General; Police and Border Guard Board
  • Latvia: Prosecutor General’s Office; International Cooperation Department and Economic Crime Enforcement Department of the Central Criminal Police Department of the State Police
  • Italy: Postal Police Service of the National Police – Operational Section for Cyber Security, Macerata, and Operational Centre for Cybersecurity of Marche
  • Malta: Malta Police Force – International Relations Unit
  • Poland: Public Prosecutor’s Offices of Jelenia Góra, Lublin, Warsaw, Warsaw Praga and Wrocław; Central Bureau for Combating Cybercrime
  • Portugal: Central Public Prosecutor’s Office Lisbon (DCIAP); Judicial Police (Policia Judiciária)United Kingdom: National Crime Agency
  • United Kingdom: National Crime Agency
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Crackdown on criminal network that used minors and women for street begging in Portugal

Source: Eurojust

Supported by Eurojust and Europol, judicial and law enforcement authorities in Portugal and Romania have dismantled an organised crime group involved in human trafficking, qualified fraud and money laundering. The suspects allegedly transported Romanian citizens, mostly minors and women, to Portugal and used them to beg for a fictitious association, posing as deaf-mute children and young people.

The criminal network is believed to have made a profit of over EUR 230,000 from this criminal activity.

During a joint action on 11-14 March, the Portuguese and Romanian authorities carried out six house searches, interrogated three defendants and interviewed five witnesses in Romania. Eight more suspects were interrogated in the weeks following the operation. At least thirty victims were identified and brought to safety.

Eurojust assisted the Portuguese and Romanian authorities in setting up and funding a joint investigation team into the case in April 2023. The Agency organised and hosted two coordination meetings to facilitate judicial cooperation and prepare for the joint action.

Europol facilitated the exchange of information between the different law enforcement authorities involved.

The following authorities took part in this investigation:

  • Portugal: Porto Public Prosecution Office; Porto Public Security Police
  • Romania: Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism – Central Structure (PPO); Service for Combating Organised Crime Ialomita (police)
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Support to halt money laundering in Italy via tax fraud and fake invoices

Source: Eurojust

Eurojust has supported judicial authorities in Italy, Portugal and Spain in halting an elaborate money-laundering scheme via tax fraud. In a coordinated operation, five suspects have been arrested in Italy and Spain for laundering illicit criminal proceeds by committing VAT fraud on the alleged import of frozen fish from Portugal and Spain. The main suspect is associated with the Cosa Nostra mafia-type criminal organisation.

© – Guardia di Finanza

In a recent operation, approximately EUR 3.3 million in cash, luxury vehicles and jewellery were seized. This includes the seizing of cash and blocking of bank accounts worth around EUR 600 000 by the Spanish authorities. In total, twelve individuals are currently under investigation by the Italian authorities, including the five suspects who were detained.

The suspects were allegedly involved in a criminal network that laundered money via a complex tax fraud scheme, using fake invoices and avoiding the payment of VAT to the Italian authorities. For this purpose, an enterprise for the importing of frozen fish products from Portugal and Spain was set up. They are now formally suspected of money laundering, tax fraud, criminal association and the fraudulent transfer of valuables.

Eurojust assisted with the execution of European Arrest Warrants and European Investigation Orders, as well as freezing orders, via the National Desks of Italy, Portugal and Spain. The operations on the ground were carried out at the request of and supported by the following authorities:

  • Italy: Public Prosecutor’s Office of Genoa; Guardia di Finanza (Central Service for Investigation on Organised Crime – SCICO)
  • Portugal: DCIAP (Departamento Central de Investigação e Acção Penal); TCIC (Tribunal Central de Instrução Criminal)
  • Spain: Investigative Judge no. 4 Vigo (Juzgado Instruccion no. 4): Audiencia Nacional Pulbic Prosecutor (Fiscalia Audiencia Nacional); UDEF Policia Nacional and Catalan Mossos d’Esquadra
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15 arrested for arranging 133 sham marriages in Cyprus

Source: Eurojust

Judicial and law enforcement authorities in Cyprus, Portugal and Latvia have dismantled a criminal network suspected of organising 133 sham marriages in Cyprus to facilitate illegal immigration into the European Union. During a joint action day carried out on 29 January, 15 suspects were arrested: 13 in Cyprus, 1 in Latvia and 1 in Portugal.

According to the investigations, the criminal network was also involved in human trafficking and money laundering activities, as well as forcing victims into bogus marriages for immigration purposes.

The suspects allegedly recruited Latvian and Portuguese women and facilitated their journeys to Cyprus, where they entered into arranged marriages with third-country nationals. The suspects arranged all of the logistics, including the purchase of flight tickets and the acquisition of passports and other required documents.

The marriages enabled the non-EU nationals to obtain residence permits from third countries, which they then used to travel to other European countries.

A total of nine cases have been opened at Eurojust since 2022 for the facilitation of execution of European Investigation Orders and European Arrest Warrants linked to this investigation. The Agency organised two dedicated coordination meetings and facilitated the judicial cooperation between the authorities involved during the action day.

Europol’s Operational Task Force (OTF) Limassol was set up to facilitate the joint efforts of Cyprus, Latvia and Portugal to dismantle this criminal network. Europol supported this OTF by facilitating information exchanges, coordinating and financing operational activities and providing tailored operational analytical support. During the action day, Europol supported the field activities by crosschecking the operational information collected in real time.

The following authorities took part in this investigation:

  • Cyprus: Law Office of Republic of Cyprus, Cyprus Police
  • Latvia: Prosecutor General’s Office, State Police of Latvia
  • Portugal: Lisbon Public Prosecution Office, Judicial Police