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Date Published: 09/07/2021
ARCHIVED - Gold pawnshop money laundering gang dismantled in Mar Menor municipalities
Guardia Civil officers seized 21,000 euros in cash and more than 1,000 grams of gold during raids in San Pedro del Pinatar, San Javier and Torre Pacheco.
The Guardia Civil of the Region of Murcia has dismantled a gang of criminals for allegedly laundering money through a network of shops trading in gold in San Pedro del Pinatar, San Javier and Torre Pacheco - leading to four people being arrested as part of operation 'Ferrogálico'.
Guardia Civil officers were led to the criminal organisation after members of the Benemérita's Citizen Security Prevention Unit, in charge of controlling shops dedicated to the purchase and sale of gold, detected a series of irregularities in one of these establishments in San Pedro del Pinatar.
Following a long investigation into the shop, the Benemérita's Citizen Security Prevention Unit noticed a large number of transactions recorded in which neither the weight of the jewellery delivered nor the money paid for it matched: it was always higher than the actual weight.
It was subsequently determined that these were not 'involuntary' errors but rather that the jewellery and gold were being illegally attained, or potentially counterfeited, and then used as part of a money-laundering scheme.
After establishing that the gold shop in San Pedro was conducting illegal activities, the search widened to San Javier and Torre Pacheco where two further shops were suspected of the same crime.
After gathering enough evidence through their investigation, the Prevention Unit notified the Guardia Civil and raids of commercial premises and homes were carried out.
The raids proved fruitful as more than twenty officers from the Guardia Civil seized documentation, computer equipment, 21,000 euros in cash and more than 1,000 grams of gold in various forms, all allegedly related to the criminal activity, and four arrests were made.
Those detained are believed to be of Colombian, Spanish and Ukrainian nationality, aged between 20 and 42, and residents of San Pedro del Pinatar and Torre Pacheco.
The Guardia Civil is not ruling out further arrests as the investigation continues.
Image: Guardia Civil
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