The operation, coordinated by Europol, led to the arrest of 15 people linked to an organized Israeli network that, from Antwerp, Belgium, produced replica luxury watches and synthetic diamonds that were sold as real ones. According to the judicial police and Europol, the scheme also ran through Portugal, where the group laundered money of illicit origin through complex financial schemes, including cryptocurrencies, and the purchase of houses.
Eleven of those detained were arrested in Belgium – mostly in the diamond capital Antwerp – but there were also two arrests in Israel: one in the Netherlands and one in the Slovak Republic. There were no arrests in Portugal, but the JV Asset Recovery Office collected the necessary data for the investigation.
Author: Joao Carlos Rodriguez
Source: CM Jornal
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