Four Romanians Held in Money-Laundering and Drug-Trafficking Case with Links to France
A network of four Romanian citizens is accused of moving over 300 million euros through accounts controlled by shell companies, with funds derived from criminal activities.
Four Romanians Held in Money-Laundering and Drug-Trafficking Case with Links to France
Magistrates from the Courts of Appeal in Oradea and Bucharest have issued preventive arrest orders for four suspects, residents of the capital and Satu Mare county. They are being investigated for several serious offences: forming an organised criminal group, money laundering, trafficking in risk and high-risk narcotic substances, tax evasion, and falsification of private documents.
According to an Interior Ministry statement, the four are believed to have established a criminal structure as early as 2018. The stated objective was to obtain massive profits from "cleaning" sums obtained through illicit means. To achieve this, the suspects allegedly opened several companies in France — in the form of sole proprietorships and simplified joint-stock companies. Through these entities, they are said to have received substantial commissions for transferring funds derived from illegal drug trafficking.
The money is believed to have passed through a series of bank accounts belonging to companies controlled by the network, so that their criminal origin would be concealed. Investigators assert that the criminals created a false invoicing mechanism between various companies in the EU, through which they diverted funds and artificially reduced the tax base, damaging the European Union budget.
The total sum believed to have circulated through these companies' accounts exceeds 300 million euros. Part of the money is believed to have been reintroduced legitimately through the purchase of real estate in Cluj-Napoca, Bucharest, and Satu Mare, properties purchased in the names of individuals close to the group.
On 3 February 2026, law-enforcement officers conducted raids at several addresses. Accounting documents, laptops, storage devices, jewellery, four branded watches, over 23,000 euros in cash, and a sum of 65,700 euros in notes believed to be counterfeit were seized.
European arrest warrants have been executed for the four individuals. Investigations are proceeding in parallel with authorities in Paris, who are investigating an extensive money-laundering network with links to Romania. In October 2025, prosecutors from both countries established a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) under the coordination of EUROJUST. Simultaneously with operations in Romania, French police carried out 15 searches and detained nine other persons. Officers from the Police Nationale were also present at the operation in Romania.
Interrogations took place at the offices of DIICOT Cluj and at the central headquarters. The investigation was supported by Eurojust, Europol, officers from the National Organised Crime Investigation Service (DCCO), forensic specialists from the National Institute of Forensics, and gendarmes.
Source: AGERPRES
Source: Google News RO — Crime (ro)