Spanish police dismantle Russian money laundering ring, arrest five in sanctions case
Spanish authorities have arrested 14 members of a Russian money laundering network and five people for violating chemical export sanctions against Russia in two separate operations, according to interior ministry statements.
In one operation, the National Police and Europol dismantled a sophisticated Russian mafia network that laundered ‘several million euros a month’ for various criminal organisations, charging between two and three percent commission, according to a ministry notice published 19 February.
‘The organisation deployed a highly professional modus operandi, with a sophistication never seen before, behaving like a genuine multinational money laundering company,’ the ministry said.
It operated through a network of ‘cashiers’ in different Spanish cities who handled daily cash transactions of up to €300,000. Each cashier was equipped with a security safe and high-capacity money counter housed in soundproof cabinets.
The investigation, which began in 2023, led to 14 arrests and nine raids across Madrid, Malaga, Marbella, Torremolinos, Coin, Ayamonte and Lisbon. Authorities seized over €1 million, four money counters, encrypted phones, a cryptocurrency wallet and documents.
The group’s clients included ‘Serbian and Albanian cartels, the macromafia, the Armenian mafia and Ukrainian, Colombian and Chinese organisations,’ according to the statement. Three senior members have been remanded in custody.
Separately, in Operation Probirka, the Spanish National Police and Tax Agency arrested five people in Barcelona and Valencia for allegedly smuggling banned chemicals to Russia through front companies in Kyrgyzstan and Armenia.
‘Among the products diverted to Russia, a chemical substance classified as a precursor to chemical weapons or nerve agents, as well as others classified as precursors to explosives, has been found to be shipped,’ the ministry said in a 13 February notice in Spanish.
The arrests follow an October 2024 seizure of 13,000 kilos of sanctioned chemicals at Barcelona port. Authorities seized 70,000 euros in cash and documents during company searches, with the investigation ongoing.
