Over 100 searches and four arrests in Latvia, Germany, France, Italy and Malta against financial institution involved in money laundering

Source: Eurojust

National authorities in Latvia, Germany, France, Italy and Malta have carried out over 100 searches in a large-scale operation against a Russian-Eurasian criminal network and a Maltese-based financial institution allegedly involved in money-laundering services. Four suspects were detained during an action day supported by Eurojust and Europol. Potential suspects and witnesses were also interviewed in Latvia, Germany, Estonia and Malta.

During the actions, over 460 police officers were deployed to carry out the searches. Germany also deployed four officers to support the investigations and searches in Latvia and Malta. In addition to the arrests, various bank accounts and properties were seized.

The Maltese financial institution laundered at least EUR 4.5 million in proceedings from criminal activities since end of 2015. The total sum of laundered money could amount to tens of millions of euros. The financial institution and organised crime group (OCG) behind it offered money-laundering services via a network of fake enterprises and individuals who were registered directors, without performing any real business activities.

The OCG operated mainly from Riga and Berlin. Investigations were initiated in 2021 by the Latvian authorities after they noticed unusual money transfers from Latvia to the Maltese financial institution. Simultaneously, the German authorities had started investigations into suspicious money flows involving the same financial institution.

Eurojust supported today’s concerted action by setting up a coordination centre and establishing and funding a joint investigation team between the German and Latvian authorities. The Agency also organised five dedicated coordination meetings to prepare for the action day and assisted with the execution of European Investigation Orders in the countries involved.

On the action day, Europol deployed a money laundering expert to Latvia and set up a mobile office at Eurojust’s coordination centre to support the operation. Since December 2021, Europol has been supporting the investigation by providing operational and financial analysis and operational expertise. The Agency also supported the joint investigation team and provided financial support to the case.

Today’s operations were carried out by the following authorities:

  • Latvia: Rīga Northern Prosecution Office; Rīga Judicial Region Prosecution Office; 1st Unit of the Economic Crime Enforcement Department of the Central Criminal Police Department of the State Police
  • Germany: Public Prosecutor‘s Office Berlin (Staatsanwaltschaft Berlin); State Office of Criminal Investigations Berlin (Landeskriminalamt Berlin)
  • Estonia: Office of the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Estonia and Estonian Police and Border Guard Board
  • France: Public Prosecutor’s Office and Investigative Judge – Judicial Court of Nice; National Police (DIPN) Alpes-Maritimes Division (Judicial Police Nice; Research and Intervention Brigade; Financial Brigade) – Border Police
  • Italy: Public Prosecutor’s Office Rome; Guardia di Finanza, Financial Police Unit Rome (Nucleo Polizia Economica e Finanziaria di Roma)
  • Malta: Financial Crimes Investigations Department and Asset Recovery Bureau of the Malta Police

Ongoing action targets large migrant smuggling network

Source: Europol

A large-scale operation involving law enforcement and judicial authorities from Belgium, France and Germany and coordinated by Europol and Eurojust, has led to the dismantling of one of the most active networks involved in the smuggling of migrants across the English Channel in small boats. The investigation focused on an Iraqi-Kurdish network suspected of smuggling middle-Eastern and East African irregular migrants…

Crackdown on multimillion euro VAT fraud involving car sales

Source: Europol

Three individuals, suspected of being the ringleaders of the fraud scheme, were arrested in Germany. During the searches, carried out in several locations across Germany (including Munich, Cologne and Rostock) and Italy, over 40 expensive vehicles and a luxury apartment in Munich were seized. In addition, several bank accounts, valuing over EUR 1.2 million were frozen. Law enforcement seized cash…

Over 100 searches and 4 arrests in France, Germany, Italy, Latvia and Malta against financial institution involved in money laundering

Source: Europol

During the actions, over 460 police officers were deployed to carry out the searches. Germany also deployed four officers to support the investigations and searches in Latvia and Malta. In addition to the arrests, various bank accounts and properties were seized.The Maltese financial institution laundered at least EUR 4.5 million in proceedings from criminal activities since end of 2015. The…

Eurojust supports international operation against world’s largest ransomware group

Source: Eurojust

In a coordinated action supported by Eurojust and Europol, judicial and law enforcement authorities from 10 different countries have severely disrupted LockBit, the world’s most active ransomware operation. Two members of the ransomware team have been arrested in Poland and Ukraine. In addition, law enforcement has compromised LockBit’s primary platform and other enabling infrastructure. This includes the takedown of 34 servers in the Netherlands, Germany, Finland, France, Switzerland, Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom.

LockBit first emerged at the end of 2019, initially calling itself ‘ABCD’ ransomware. Since then, it has grown rapidly and by 2022 had become the most deployed ransomware variant worldwide. LockBit attacks are believed to have affected over 2,500 victims all over the world.

The group is a ‘ransomware-as-a-service’ operation, meaning that a core team creates its malware and runs its website, while licensing out its code to affiliates who launch attacks.

The joint action enabled the various police forces to take control of much of the infrastructure that enables the LockBit ransomware to operate, including the darknet, and, in particular, the ‘wall of shame’ used to publish the data of victims who refused to pay the ransom. This action has disrupted the network’s ability to operate.

Authorities have also frozen more than 200 cryptocurrency accounts linked to the criminal organisation.

This international operation follows a complex investigation led by the UK National Crime Agency. Supported by Eurojust and Europol, law enforcement from nine other countries worked in close partnership with the National Crime Agency on this case, including authorities in France, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, the United States, Switzerland, Australia, Canada and Japan.

The case was opened at Eurojust in April 2022 at the request of the French authorities. Five coordination meetings were hosted by the Agency to facilitate judicial cooperation and to prepare for the joint action.

Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) organised 27 operational meetings, and 4 technical 1-week sprints to develop the investigative leads in preparation of the final phase of the investigation. Europol also provided analytical, crypto-tracing and forensic support. In addition, three Europol experts were deployed to the command post in London during the action phase.

With Europol’s support, the Japanese Police, the National Crime Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation pooled their technical expertise to develop decryption tools designed to recover files encrypted by the LockBit ransomware. These solutions have been made available free of charge on the ‘No More Ransom’ portal, which is available in 37 languages. So far, more than 6 million victim across the globe have benefited from No More Ransom, which contains over 120 solutions capable of decrypting more than 150 different types of ransomware.

The following authorities took part in this investigation:

  • United Kingdom: National Crime Agency, South West Regional Organised Crime Unit
  • United States: U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation – Newark
  • France: JUNALCO (National Jurisdiction against Organised Crime) Public Prosecutor’s Office Paris Cybercrime Unit – C3N (cyber unit); Gendarmerie Nationale
  • Germany: Central Cybercrime Department North Rhine-Westphalia (CCD), State Bureau of Criminal Investigation Schleswig-Holstein (LKA Schleswig-Holstein), Federal Criminal Police Office (Bundeskriminalamt)
  • Sweden: Swedish Cybercrime Centre, Swedish Prosecution Authority
  • The Netherlands: National Police (Team Cybercrime Zeeland-West-Brabant, Team Cybercrime Oost-Brabant, Team High Tech Crime); Public Prosecutor’s Office Zeeland-West-Brabant
  • Australia: Australian Federal Police
  • Canada: Royal Canadian Mounted Police
  • Japan: National Police Agency
  • Switzerland: Zurich Cantonal Police; Public Prosecutor’s Office II of the Canton of Zurich

Law enforcement disrupt world’s biggest ransomware operation

Source: Europol

LockBit is widely recognised as the world’s most prolific and harmful ransomware, causing billions of euros worth of damage.This international sweep follows a complex investigation led by the UK National Crime Agency in the framework of an international taskforce known as ‘Operation Cronos’, coordinated at European level by Europol and Eurojust.The months-long operation has resulted in the compromise of LockBit’s…

Properties worth EUR 48 million frozen after cocaine sweep in Ecuador and Spain

Source: Europol

The joint action day in Spain and Ecuador led to:31 arrests (13 in Spain and 18 in Ecuador);2 High Value Targets arrested;66 location searches (22 in Spain and 40 in Ecuador);Seizures included: 25 vehicles, 10 firearms, electronic equipment estimated at about EUR 13 million and almost EUR 3 million cash in various currencies, including euros; Property frozen for a total value…

Fake medicines worth EUR 64 million off EU markets

Source: Europol

Europol supported this wide-reaching operation with several operational meetings and the deployment of specialists with mobile offices offering analytical and forensic support. Operation SHIELD’s 2023 edition was led by a steering group composed of Italian, French, Greek and Spanish law enforcement authorities.  The trafficking of pharmaceuticals is a growing issue in the European Union and beyond. The investigations under SHIELD…

International cybercrime malware service targeting thousands of unsuspecting consumers dismantled

Source: Europol

On 7 February, two suspects were arrested in Malta and Nigeria in the framework of the operation. The suspects are accused of selling the malware and supporting cybercriminals who used the malware for malicious purposes. Europol provided analytical support to the investigation which led to the operation involving Australia, Canada, Croatia, Finland, Germany, Malta, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Romania and the United…

EUR 1 million in assets seized in hit against ID forgers

Source: Europol

The Carabinieri Anti-Money Counterfeiting Command of Rome initiated the investigation into this criminal network in September 2020. This uncovered that the suspected members had allegedly facilitated illegal immigration through the production and dissemination of fake driving licences, registration documents, and national identification documents. The criminal network is also suspected of forging and trafficking foreign currency banknotes.Faking EU IDs and Congolese…