https://euronews.al/en/europol-and-prosecutors-office-attack-the-money-laundering-network/

Europol, together with law enforcement authorities in several European countries, including SPAK (Special Prosecutors’ Office), has cracked down on an international money-laundering network that laundered the proceeds of drug trafficking. The operation led to the arrest of nine individuals and the seizure of 27 million euros in cryptocurrencies, as well as other luxury items.

The investigation has uncovered a secret banking network that offered services for laundering illegal money through cryptocurrencies.

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

This operation is a continuation of the “Gorgon” operation, that of July and August, where the “Copja” clan in Elbasan was hit.

In August, in Albania, the joint operation was codenamed “Gorgon” – monstrous figure according to Greek mythology, with Medusa as their most famous representative.

SPAK announced at that time that it had issued 33 arrest warrants against suspected members of a criminal organization, which according to investigators is led by the two brothers Franc and Hajdar Çopja.

SPAK announced that out of 33 arrest warrants, 13 were executed in Albania, while 2 people were arrested abroad.

How did Europol unravel the money laundering scheme?

In 2021, Spanish authorities seized a large amount of money during a house search as part of an investigation into cocaine trafficking. Several five-euro notes were found with handwritten inscriptions, which provided important information on those coordinating the financial aspect of drug trafficking. Spain’s Guardia Civil handed over this information to Europol, which analyzed it in line with data from previous investigations into the EncroChat and Sky ECC cases. As a result of these analyses, a coordinator was identified who provided underground banking services to a criminal network based in the south of Spain and linked to another network operating from Dubai. This individual, a British national, was arrested on 12 September 2022.

To deepen the investigation, the authorities implemented a detailed data analysis to identify the other individuals involved and to map the complete structure of the criminal network. This close cooperation between Europol, the Civil Guard and the Europol Operational Task Force led to the sharing of a wealth of intelligence information. Based on these findings, a coordinated operation was carried out on November 4, 2024 in Malaga, Spain, which involved law enforcement authorities from Belgium, Bulgaria, the Netherlands and the United States.