Spanish Civil Guard seizes more than three million euros from a criminal organization dedicated to money laundering from drug trafficking
Civil Guard, within the framework of the “Talofita” operation, carried out in the province of Cádiz, has proceeded to dismantle a criminal organization dedicated to money laundering from drug trafficking. In the operation, more than 3 million euros have been immobilized between mercantile companies, real estate, cash, fishing boats, blocked accounts and intervened vehicles.
Likewise, 11 people have been arrested, including the leader of the organization known as “DORO” and his closest environment, who were lending themselves as front men to camouflage the organization’s assets. 9 legal entities have also been immobilized.
There have been 5 simultaneous home searches in Sanlúcar de Barrameda and Chipiona, where 11 real estate properties, 2 trawling fishing boats, cash, 24 vehicles have been intervened, more than 40 financial products have been blocked between bank accounts, deposits, safe deposit boxes, funds investment and abundant documentation.
The investigation began when the Civil Guard learned of an alleged money laundering crime committed by members of a criminal organization that would have spent years laundering huge amounts of money of dubious origin. Continuing with the investigations, the agents were able to determine that the organization was led by a well-known personage in Sanlúcar, with a history of drug trafficking, and his wife, the daughter of a historical drug trafficker in the area known as “el Acuático.” These two people would be in charge of an entire financial and business network whose sole objective would be to launder large amounts of money of illicit origin through a complex network of companies.
At the head of the companies, the criminal organization placed relatives and close people until they constituted a complex corporate network, in the case of establishing companies with a minimum capital and in a short time multiplying it exponentially, without carrying out apparent commercial activities. It should be noted that a family member of the leader, who had not carried out paid activities since 2012 and without declared income, in 2017 bought a fishing boat worth more than € 440,000, being also granted a loan by a local bank in more than € 200,000.
In the same way, he is the owner of several financial products, including bank accounts, investment funds and securities, for an amount of more than half a million euros. Another significant case is that of another relative of one of his trusted men, who despite being a pensioner, became a promoter of musical events, where a concert was held in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, in which a well-known American singer from reggaeton and Latin trap, for an amount of more than € 900,000 paid at a loss by the investigated companies. Likewise, in 2017 a sports club that was in bankruptcy was rescued by the leader of the organization, appointing himself as president and making capital injections to clean up the club’s accounts and start all kinds of works.
