(Luxembourg, 29 April 2026) – In an investigation led by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Munich (Germany), more than 20 house searches were carried out yesterday in the federal states of Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany), as well as in Poland, in a probe into suspected money laundering and participation in organised crime.
According to the investigation, the suspects are believed to be connected to a criminal organisation led by Chinese citizens that is laundering criminal proceeds from customs and VAT fraud, dissimulating the origin of their illegal income.
The criminal organisation is allegedly specialised in carrying out large scale custom and VAT fraud and is the subject of several EPPO investigations. They are also suspected of moving millions of euros of cash on a regular basis.
The suspects of the investigation at hand have been identified as cash couriers, participating in the so-called Hawala network, an unregulated financial channel based on a network of trusted brokers and cash couriers who transport and ship vast amounts of cash and whose aim is to launder the proceeds from illegal activities.
Yesterday, the homes and company offices of the suspected cash couriers were searched, as well as storerooms, to gather further evidence regarding their activities and connections with the above-mentioned criminal organisation. During the searches, electronic devices, documents, three cars, six luxury watches, cash and several kilos of cannabis were seized. The estimated value of the seized assets amounts to over €1.2 million.
The searches and investigative measures were carried out and supported by the Hesse State Criminal Police Department (Hessisches Landeskriminalamt), the Tax Fraud Investigation Office Munich (Steuerfahndung München) and the Polish Internal Security Agency (Agencja Bezpieczeństwa Wewnętrznego).
All persons involved are presumed innocent until proven guilty by the competent courts of law.
The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) is the independent public prosecution office of the European Union. It is responsible for investigating, prosecuting and bringing to judgment crimes against the financial interests of the EU.