International money laundering: 15 arrests and record seizure in case linking Paris to Brussels
An investigation conducted by several police services has dismantled a criminal network that was recycling funds from drug trafficking between France, Belgium and Mauritania.
International money laundering: 15 arrests and record seizure in case linking Paris to Brussels
A major police operation carried out in early June brought an end to the activities of a criminal organisation that was laundering dirty money from the drug trade. This structure operated across three countries: France, Belgium and Mauritania. In total, fifteen suspects were taken into custody and law enforcement recovered approximately fifty kilogrammes of cocaine as well as assets amounting to nearly eight million euros.
The investigation began in 2025, when suspicious meetings between drug dealers from Gironde and Mauritian couriers were spotted at Bordeaux railway station, according to information obtained by AFP from investigators. These couriers travelled daily by train across French cities. Armed with regular customs papers to justify the transport of cash, they operated under the guise of car purchases. They collected large sums of money before heading to Belgium, particularly to Molenbeek and Anderlecht, two communes in the Brussels region. One of them admitted to receiving four hundred euros per trip.
Since 2019, declarations of funds at the French border made by fourteen people of Mauritanian nationality total at least seven million five hundred thousand euros. This figure could increase as the investigation progresses. The services involved in this case include the Ofast, the OCRGDF, the BRI, the Onaf and the federal judicial police of Brussels. Analysts estimate that the collections generated twenty-four million euros over a period of eight months.
Brussels investigators identified a car trading company based in the Belgian capital as the probable beneficiary of the funds. This company used several garages as a front. On its bank accounts, authorities blocked an amount of 7.9 million euros, consisting mainly of cash deposits.
On 5 and 6 June, searches took place in Massy, Haÿ-les-Roses, Alfortville and Brussels. These operations resulted in the confiscation of five hundred thousand euros in notes and a quantity of drugs. On French territory, two couriers appeared before a judge at the Jirs-Junalco in Paris. They were charged and remanded in custody after admitting their involvement. On the Belgian side, five individuals were prosecuted. Four were released pending bail, whilst a fifth was subject to an arrest warrant. Another warrant was to be issued against a suspected organiser who may be in Mauritania.
Source: DHnet
Source: DHnet