Costa News Spain Breaking News | English News in Spain.
Alicante is among the cities named in a police and Tax Agency operation that has dismantled an international money-laundering network accused of cleaning more than €3 million through Spanish wine and industrial machinery.
The investigation, announced on Wednesday, ended with nine arrests in Santander, Madrid, Alicante and Tenerife. Authorities have not said how many of those detained were held in Alicante, or what role they are alleged to have played in the network.
How the scheme allegedly worked
According to the Policía Nacional and the Tax Agency, the group is believed to have laundered money taken from cyber-frauds committed against individuals and companies in several countries across Europe, South America and Asia.
Investigators say the network used two linked strands: first, online fraud to obtain the money; then a commercial structure involving companies, invoices and cross-border trade to reintroduce the funds into the legal economy.
The allegedly illicit cash was moved between bank accounts, sent abroad and withdrawn in cash before being used to buy legitimate goods, mainly Spanish wine, machinery and industrial vehicles. Those goods were then exported, in what investigators describe as a form of trade-based money laundering.
Coordinated raids in several locations
The final phase of the operation took place on 20 and 21 October under the coordination of customs surveillance officers in Cantabria. Seven arrests were made in Madrid, Alicante and Tenerife, along with five searches at homes and at a company premises.
Officers seized business paperwork, invoices, accounting records, computers, mobile phones, jewellery and cash.
Authorities said the inquiry began in 2025 after a financial intelligence report flagged suspicious banking activity linked to companies associated with one suspect in Cantabria. Europol was brought into the case, alongside authorities in Germany, Portugal, the UK, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Italy, Cyprus and North Macedonia.
The investigation remains open while officers continue to examine the documents and seized material.
