Raids across Spain lead to 34 arrests

 

The Guardia Civil last night arrested a group of 34 Chinese citizens in a number of different cities across Spain. Those arrested were members of a family-run gang suspected of importing fake goods and then laundering the proceeds through a number of secondary businesses, including a chain of laundries.

Coordinated raids took place Barcelona, Seville, Valencia, Madrid, Cadiz and Huelva and, in addition to the arrests, officials also seized assets belonging to the gang worth 11 million euros.

It is thought that the gang could have have earned over 40 million euros a year, by importing up to 6 containers a month through Valencia loaded with counterfeit goods including cigarettes, fashion items and other goods for sale throughout the whole of Europe.

The gang recruited Chinese nationals that they had helped to move to Spain, often taking away their passports after they arrived and the opening bank accounts in their names to launder the proceeds, where payments were usually kept to small amounts to avoid any suspicion.