Five major apprehended suspects in Sweden and Spain after transnational raids. Five of the major suspects have been arrested after a raid on a violent gang suspected of organising large parts of the illegal gambling and money laundering activities within the Stockholm territory by Europol. It was a simultaneous raid conducted in Sweden and Spain. Approximately 150 policemen and women conducted the search in six sites in Stockholm and two sites in Murcia, Spain. The police confiscated hundreds of thousands of euros in cash and luxury items, such as watches from expensive brands.

Evidence of possible trafficking of humans was also found in the form of drugs that were repackaged in Sweden, and other evidence in the form of a property, which was thought to have operated as an illegal gambling club. Europol states that the suspects are the centre of a network that is characterised by violence and threats, and that threats are the means through which they collect their debts and influence in keeping control of portions of the illegal gambling market. Drug trafficking in Sweden and the Nordic region is another area with which the group is associated.

Criminal Network Revealed with Multi-Million-Euro Mafia Business

Researchers have found a criminal model that is based on three primary sources of revenue. The type of gambling that was illegal earned an approximate of EU 20m (US 23.16m) a year, and the network was also reported to offer money laundering services to the network itself and other criminal organisations. Crypt trading enhanced its status in the local and regional criminal market even further. Combined activities carried by the network served as a significant facilitator to other criminal actors.

The move is part of a bigger and sustained, multi-agency program to deconstruct organisations and cross-border crime networks which affect local communities. Europol emphasised that, through its ability to make cross-jurisdictional intelligence, this allowed wielders of power in Sweden and Spain to strike in unison and dismantle the activity of the group. According to Europol, the coordinated execution proves the worthiness of long-term cross-border collaboration in addressing the networks that rely on international connections to facilitate criminal profitability on the local scale.