EUROPOL Action Against European Money Laundering Operations
Law Enforcement Actions Against Organized Crime in Europe
Authors:
• SCARS Editorial Team – Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Inc.
• EUROPOL
About This Article
Judicial and law enforcement authorities from Italy, Latvia, and Lithuania have collaborated to dismantle a large-scale money laundering operation, orchestrated through a Lithuanian financial institution, with over EUR 2 billion laundered since 2017.
The operation involved two main suspects who offered money laundering services online to criminals worldwide, resulting in their detention along with 16 others. Facilitated by Eurojust and Europol, the operation saw the freezing of over EUR 11.5 million in assets and bank accounts.
The institution facilitated fictitious transactions for various criminal activities, including tax evasion and organized crime, while one suspect defrauded Italian authorities of EUR 15 million.
Eurojust’s coordination efforts enabled swift action across the three countries involved, emphasizing the importance of international cooperation in combating transnational criminal threats.

Full-scale Europol Action against Money Laundering Network via a Lithuanian Financial Institution for over EUR 2 Billion
Judicial and law enforcement authorities in Italy, Latvia, and Lithuania have taken concerted action against a large-scale money laundering business, centering around a Lithuanian financial institution. Since 2017, an estimated EUR 2 billion has been laundered by two main suspects via a worldwide web of shell companies. The suspects, who now have been detained, offered money laundering online as a service to criminals.
A third main suspect, leading another organized crime group (OCG), was arrested in the same operation for defrauding the Italian authorities of EUR 15 million in public funds. These funds were laundered via the same web of myriad enterprises, centered around the financial institution in Lithuania.
During an action day on 27 February, around 250 judicial representatives and law enforcement officers were active on the ground. In total 18 persons have been arrested, including the 3 main suspects. In total 55 locations were searched and over EUR 11.5 million in assets and bank accounts have been frozen. Eurojust and Europol played pivotal roles in facilitating and coordinating international activities.
The financial institution offered money laundering as a service to thousands of criminals across the EU by making fictitious financial transactions via the web of enterprises, which were run by strawmen. It advertised its alleged consultancy services online and was set up in Lithuania in 2016 by an Italian-based OCG.
The financial institution was led by the two main suspects, who resided in Lithuania and Latvia. The OCG laundered the proceedings of a range of criminal activities, including tax evasion, cyber fraud, fake bankruptcy, and organized crime such as drug trafficking. Part of the proceeds were injected into the Latvian and Lithuanian economies via the purchase of real estate and luxury vehicles.
The laundered money included the EUR 15 million from unlawfully obtained so-called building bonuses, provided by the Italian national authorities. These bonuses were given for renovation and insulation works and other energy-saving measures of existing buildings. In reality, no repairs took place, and the applicants were not the owners or the buildings did not even exist. The main perpetrator of this fraud was a practicing tax consultant, who arranged the awarding of bonuses for 72 other individuals who were aware of the abuse.
Investigations into the OCG were initiated in 2021 by the Public Prosecutor’s Offices of Naples and Lecce in Italy, involving their counterparts in Latvia and Lithuania in 2022 via Eurojust.
In 2022, the financial and judicial authorities in Lithuania already closed down the electronic payment institution. Its banking license was revoked and bankruptcy procedures were started for non-compliance with money laundering prevention regulations. A rapid reaction of Latvian and Lithuanian authorities to reports on suspicious transactions led to the identification and freezing of millions in funds, real estate properties, and luxury vehicles, which now can be confiscated.
During the same year, Eurojust supported the setting up and funding of a joint investigation team between all national authorities involved. Eurojust also set up a coordination center to support the simultaneous actions in the three countries.
Furthermore, Eurojust organized eight coordination meetings to prepare for the simultaneous actions of the Italian, Latvian and Lithuanian authorities. These preparations also prevented potential conflicts of jurisdiction. Eurojust has also already facilitated the restitution to Italy of over EUR 3 million of the illegally obtained public funds, which have been frozen by the Lithuanian authorities.
Europol has been supporting the case since January 2022, working closely with the national investigators to uncover the magnitude and complexity of the activities carried out by the OCG. During the action day, two Europol experts were deployed to Latvia to support the authorities with their investigative measures. A third Europol specialist was deployed to the coordination center at Eurojust, with an analyst on hand at Europol’s headquarters to handle the contributions shared via Europol’s secure communication channels.
The operations against the OCG are the result of long-term intensive cooperation across Europe of the three countries involved.
The Head of Europol’s European Financial and Economic Crime Centre at Europol, Mr Burkhard Mühl, commented:
Europol firmly believes that the ‘follow the money’ approach, coupled with close cooperation between EU law enforcement agencies and Europol, constitutes the most powerful strategy for combatting transnational criminal threats and frauds related to public funds. By pooling resources, expertise, and intelligence, we can effectively disrupt illicit financial flows and dismantle criminal networks.
The actions in the three countries were carried out at the request of and by the following authorities:
- Italy: Public Prosecutor’s Offices of Naples and Lecce; Guardia di Finanza of Naples and Lecce
- Latvia: Prosecutor General’s Office, Rīga Judicial Region Prosecution Office; 1st Unit of the Economic Crime Enforcement Department of the Central Criminal Police Department of the State Police
- Lithuania: Vilnius Regional Public Prosecutor’s Office; Vilnius County Police Headquarters
Please Rate This Article
Please Leave Us Your Comment
Also, tell us of any topics we might have missed.
Thank you for your comment. You may receive an email to follow up. We never share your data with marketers.
-/ 30 /-
What do you think about this?
Please share your thoughts in a comment above!
More Related Information:
- INTERPOL Warns Of ‘Metacrime’ On The Metaverse – 2024 (scamsnow.com)
- Qakbot Botnet Infrastructure Shattered After An International Operation Led By FBI/Europol Takes It Down (scamsnow.com)
- Europol Arrests 70 Phone Scammers Plus Kingpin (scamsnow.com)
- Cryptocurrencies – Europol Takes A Major Step Forward (scamsnow.com)
- EUROPOL Report: Money-Laundering Criminals Are Adapting To New Technology Faster Than Authorities Can Keep Up (scamsnow.com)
- Euro Phishing Gang Shut Down Europol & Partners – 2023 (scamsnow.com)
- Organized Criminal Network – 43 Members Arrested by Europol (scamsnow.com)
-/ 30 /-
What do you think about this?
Please share your thoughts in a comment above!
SCARS LINKS: AgainstScams.org RomanceScamsNOW.com ContraEstafas.org ScammerPhotos.com Anyscam.com ScamsNOW.com
reporting.AgainstScams.org support.AgainstScams.org membership.AgainstScams.org donate.AgainstScams.org shop.AgainstScams.org
youtube.AgainstScams.org linkedin.AgainstScams.org facebook.AgainstScams.org
ARTICLE RATING
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Law Enforcement Actions Against Organized Crime in Europe
- About This Article
- Full-scale Europol Action against Money Laundering Network via a Lithuanian Financial Institution for over EUR 2 Billion
- More Related Information:
- SCARS Institute™ ScamsNOW Magazine
Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Inc. [SCARS]
CATEGORIES
MOST POPULAR COMMENTED ARTICLES
POPULAR ARTICLES
U.S. & Canada Suicide Lifeline 988
![NavyLogo@4x-81[1] EUROPOL Action Against European Money Laundering Operations - 2024](https://scamsnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/NavyLogo@4x-811.png)
ARTICLE META
WHAT PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT LATEST SITE COMMENTS
See Comments for this Article at the Bottom of the Page
on Scam Victims Compliance With Scammer Authority Figures – 2024: “Interesting read, further explains the tactics scammers will use against you.” Aug 10, 16:34
on Scam Victims In The RAIN – A Mindfulness Approach For Recovery – 2024 [UPDATED 2025]: “This technique will be helpful for me. So often I push my feelings down or “push” them behind me and…” Aug 7, 15:31
on The Tao – The Philosophy of the Path to Recovery: “Thank you for a glimpse into this method of healing and mindfulness. At the present I work with my trauma…” Aug 7, 15:18
on The Value of Slowness: “What we really need to face in this online digital world is that so much of it is false. And…” Aug 7, 15:08
on Overconfidence And Scam Victims Susceptibility To Scams – 2024 [UPDATED]: “This website really has all the information and facts I wanted about this subject and didn’t know who to ask.” Aug 3, 10:23
on A Scam Victim in Extreme Distress – Stopping the Pain – 2024: “this post really clarified a lot of things for me, and heled me to understand , there is a lot…” Aug 1, 07:31
on Glimmers of Light – the Positive Side of Experience for Scam Victims – 2025: “Very useful /helpful article for victims suffering from trauma not only of all types” Jul 31, 02:47
on Relationship Scam Victims – Impact On Employment And Jobs – Saving Employment After A Scam: “Trauma, fear of shame, grief can alter how we handle day to day situations such as work or caring for…” Jul 31, 02:08
on Fear Of Contagion: Why Scam Victims Are Harshly Judged And Blamed 2023: “This comment stems from a re-read of this article. I first read it several months ago. I understand that others…” Jul 31, 01:28
on WARNING – Scam Victims Exploited By The News Media – 2024 [UPDATED 2025]: “The article highlights some important information for victims who after years of recovery/support feel “ready” to talk to the media…” Jul 28, 18:54
on WARNING – Scam Victims Exploited By The News Media – 2024 [UPDATED 2025]: “Thank you for this explanation of the potential added on trauma a survivor could be exposed to. Definitely not worth…” Jul 21, 17:13
on Acknowledging The Harm Done – 2025: “Well written article explaining the harm done and why it is necessary to acknowledge it. In part it helped me…” Jul 21, 16:57
on Dear Scam Victim Family & Friends – You Are Also Scam Victims – 2024: “A scam is hard on everyone who loves and cares for the victim. The survivor goes through a lot to…” Jul 21, 14:04
on A Scam Victim in Extreme Distress – Stopping the Pain – 2024: “Jina, we redacted your comments since they do not comply with our policies. However, this does not invalidate what happened…” Jul 20, 21:45
on Waiting to See if Someone is Real – Take a Pause First – 2025: “The pause remains important…actually now the pause is critical. There is nothing, not a financial gain, an item, a meeting,…” Jul 20, 19:55
on Hate for Scammers and Criminals Feels So Good But is So Bad for Scam Victims – 2025: “I struggled for months with forgiveness. Forgiving myself and the criminals. About two months ago I prayed and forgave the…” Jul 20, 16:24
on The Paradox of Pain – 2025: “This is a great article and holds significance for me. Initially after my crime I felt such pain. It would…” Jul 20, 12:19
on A Scam Victim in Extreme Distress – Stopping the Pain – 2024: “[REDACTED FOR POLICY REASONS]” Jul 20, 11:40
on The Unique Injury Of Betrayal Trauma On Scam Victims – 2024: “It will come as recovery progresses, but stopping and then restarting recovery after years makes it harder. Just keep learning…” Jul 19, 21:10
on Waiting to See if Someone is Real – Take a Pause First – 2025: “Very valuable information for all /including myself/ who still struggle with their own impulsive reactions.” Jul 19, 06:21
Important Information for New Scam Victims
Please visit www.ScamVictimsSupport.org – a SCARS Website for New Scam Victims & Sextortion Victims
SCARS Institute now offers a free recovery program at www.SCARSeducation.org
Please visit www.ScamPsychology.org – to more fully understand the psychological concepts involved in scams and scam victim recovery
If you are looking for local trauma counselors, please visit counseling.AgainstScams.org
If you need to speak with someone now, you can dial 988 or find phone numbers for crisis hotlines all around the world here: www.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines
Statement About Victim Blaming
Some of our articles discuss various aspects of victims. This is both about better understanding victims (the science of victimology) and their behaviors and psychology. This helps us to educate victims/survivors about why these crimes happened and not to blame themselves, better develop recovery programs, and help victims avoid scams in the future. At times, this may sound like blaming the victim, but it does not blame scam victims; we are simply explaining the hows and whys of the experience victims have.
These articles, about the Psychology of Scams or Victim Psychology – meaning that all humans have psychological or cognitive characteristics in common that can either be exploited or work against us – help us all to understand the unique challenges victims face before, during, and after scams, fraud, or cybercrimes. These sometimes talk about some of the vulnerabilities the scammers exploit. Victims rarely have control of them or are even aware of them, until something like a scam happens, and then they can learn how their mind works and how to overcome these mechanisms.
Articles like these help victims and others understand these processes and how to help prevent them from being exploited again or to help them recover more easily by understanding their post-scam behaviors. Learn more about the Psychology of Scams at www.ScamPsychology.org
SCARS INSTITUTE RESOURCES:
If You Have Been Victimized By A Scam Or Cybercrime
♦ If you are a victim of scams, go to www.ScamVictimsSupport.org for real knowledge and help
♦ Enroll in SCARS Scam Survivor’s School now at www.SCARSeducation.org
♦ To report criminals, visit https://reporting.AgainstScams.org – we will NEVER give your data to money recovery companies like some do!
♦ Follow us and find our podcasts, webinars, and helpful videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RomancescamsNowcom
♦ Learn about the Psychology of Scams at www.ScamPsychology.org
♦ Dig deeper into the reality of scams, fraud, and cybercrime at www.ScamsNOW.com and www.RomanceScamsNOW.com
♦ Scam Survivor’s Stories: www.ScamSurvivorStories.org
♦ For Scam Victim Advocates visit www.ScamVictimsAdvocates.org
♦ See more scammer photos on www.ScammerPhotos.com
You can also find the SCARS Institute on Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, and TruthSocial
Psychology Disclaimer:
All articles about psychology and the human brain on this website are for information & education only
The information provided in this and other SCARS articles are intended for educational and self-help purposes only and should not be construed as a substitute for professional therapy or counseling.
Note about Mindfulness: Mindfulness practices have the potential to create psychological distress for some individuals. Please consult a mental health professional or experienced meditation instructor for guidance should you encounter difficulties.
While any self-help techniques outlined herein may be beneficial for scam victims seeking to recover from their experience and move towards recovery, it is important to consult with a qualified mental health professional before initiating any course of action. Each individual’s experience and needs are unique, and what works for one person may not be suitable for another.
Additionally, any approach may not be appropriate for individuals with certain pre-existing mental health conditions or trauma histories. It is advisable to seek guidance from a licensed therapist or counselor who can provide personalized support, guidance, and treatment tailored to your specific needs.
If you are experiencing significant distress or emotional difficulties related to a scam or other traumatic event, please consult your doctor or mental health provider for appropriate care and support.
Also read our SCARS Institute Statement about Professional Care for Scam Victims – click here
If you are in crisis, feeling desperate, or in despair, please call 988 or your local crisis hotline.
More ScamsNOW.com Articles
A Question of Trust
At the SCARS Institute, we invite you to do your own research on the topics we speak about and publish. Our team investigates the subject being discussed, especially when it comes to understanding the scam victims-survivors’ experience. You can do Google searches, but in many cases, you will have to wade through scientific papers and studies. However, remember that biases and perspectives matter and influence the outcome. Regardless, we encourage you to explore these topics as thoroughly as you can for your own awareness.
Leave a Reply