Barbershops in Geneva and Lausanne used to launder drug money
Former proprietors of two hairdressing salons in French-speaking Switzerland have been arrested for money laundering linked to cocaine and cannabis trafficking.
Barbershops in French-speaking Switzerland at the centre of a money-laundering and drug-trafficking network
Two salons belonging to the same barbershop chain — one in Geneva, the other in Lausanne — are the subject of a judicial investigation for money laundering and drug trafficking, 20min.ch reports. The former managers of the establishments, now closed, have been arrested along with two suspected accomplices.
According to judicial documents cited by RTS, the chain is alleged to have been operated "solely and exclusively for the purpose of laundering money from drug trafficking" and to deposit these funds into Swiss bank accounts. The suspects are also suspected of having participated in trafficking between French-speaking Switzerland and France, involving more than 30 kilograms of cocaine and approximately one tonne of cannabis products — hashish and marijuana.
The case dates back to February 2021, when one of the accused was intercepted at Geneva customs with a bag containing 250,260 Swiss francs and 156,680 euros in cash. Investigators established that this sum came from drug trafficking.
The establishments had benefited from promotion by rapper Maître Gims and television presenter Cyril Hanouna on social media, according to RTS and Watson, who revealed the story.
Source: Google News MA — Crime (fr)