MADRID – In a joint operation between the Guardia Civil and the Policia Nacional, a dangerous criminal organisation has been dismantled. The raids took place in Madrid city and the La Sagra region of Toledo.
As reported by the Guardia Civil on their official Youtube channel, the organisation specialised in the cultivation of marijuana and money laundering. The money laundering was done in various ways such as through the collection of sports bets, massage parlors, real estate acquisitions, and the purchase of high-end vehicles.
Search and arrest
16 houses were searched, resulting in the arrest of 23 people. Two of these individuals are said to be the leaders of the organisation. Five of those were involved in the sports bets in the gambling halls, and one other individual was a local policeman who was arrested for disclosing secrets.
250 kilos of buds and 5,000 plants have been seized along with firearms, knives, high-end vehicles, frequency inhibitors, a bulletproof vest, and over €100,000 among other things.
Bank accounts frozen
Consequently, the bank accounts of those arrested have been blocked. This amounts to over one and a half million euros frozen.
Money laundering
The investigation began because of a series of irregularities in the collection of gaming prizes in a gambling hall. Here, there were at least eleven prizes worth €60,000 that looked to be fraudulent. These were issued in the name of two of the members of the organisation. Furthermore, they were signed off by the person in charge of the gambling hall.
Police established the organisation was able to place bets of around €50,000 per day. This gave the gambling hall up to €3 million in cash thus enabling them to wash some of the money.
Policeman arrested
With the collaboration of a local policeman in Madrid, together with various security avoidance measures, they were able to conduct counter-surveillance, therefore, avoiding any contact with police control points.
The police are involved in many similar successful operations every day.
