Joint operation between the Tax Agency, the National Police and Europol

• The operation was carried out in the province of Valencia and resulted in the arrest of five people, from whom various documents, 16 properties, two vehicles, around 21,000 euros in cash and various objects and collections of high economic value were seized.

October 26, 2021.- The Tax Agency, in a joint operation with the National Police and EUROPOL, has arrested five people in the province of Valencia for allegedly belonging to a family-run criminal organization that had laundered more than 45 million euros in Spain.

The investigations began in 2017, coordinated by the Prosecutor's Office against Corruption and Organized Crime and by the 20th Court of Instruction of Valencia.

From the outset, investigators identified the significant commercial and financial relationship that a Spanish company run by a family-run criminal organisation had developed. The business transactions examined, based mainly on interior design and decoration work on buildings, apparently had prices much higher than market values, as the Spanish company lacked the staff and infrastructure to match such a volume of business, and introduced large amounts of money into the Spanish financial sector. The total amounted to over 45 million euros.

In order to carry out these activities, the criminal organisation made certain payments that could be identified as possible commission payments to alleged front men in bank accounts in third countries, as well as the acquisition of properties in Spain in the name of other people.

In order to conceal its extraordinary increase in assets, the organisation created a corporate structure that was intended to camouflage the end-use of the funds obtained, although a large part of them were used to acquire numerous properties in the city of Valencia.

Due to the international connections of this criminal organisation, the investigation has been supported by a specialist from the Anti-Corruption Group of the European Centre against Economic and Financial Crime (EFECC) of EUROPOL, who has supported this investigation, as well as any possible links to corruption that may exist.

New arrests are not ruled out

So far, five Spanish people have been arrested for their alleged involvement in money laundering and membership in a criminal organisation, although further arrests are not ruled out.

As a result of the operational exploitation of the investigation, two search and seizure proceedings were carried out in the province of Valencia, resulting in the seizure of various documents, both in paper format and in electronic and digital format (various computers, tablets and mobile phones), which at first glance could show the effective commission of the investigated acts. The analysis carried out could prove the existence of other possible crimes carried out by the dismantled criminal organization.

Sixteen properties have been seized, almost all located in the province of Valencia, as well as two vehicles used by the organisation. In addition, 35 bank accounts in different financial institutions have been seized and around 21,000 euros in cash, as well as various objects and collections of high economic value, have been seized during the police operation.