Are you wondering what kebabs have to do with Money Laundering? According to Europol a lot more than you think. An international criminal organisation operating in both Germany and Spain used a network of food establishments to conceal their activities, “fronting” as kebab meat suppliers.
The criminals falsified data and invoices to transfer money from Spain to Germany on a weekly basis, transferring €90,000 to €200,000, and sometimes even €300,000 in one go claiming the transfers as payments from Spanish companies to a German company for kebab meat. The Spanish authorities estimated that around €36 million had been transferred and laundered by the criminal network.
It goes to show how just about any type of business can be used to launder money, and how sophisticated and creative money laundering syndicates have become. This is why we in the modern world have to become increasingly vigilant and sophisticated to keep up with these syndicates.
