From 22 to 26 February 2016, law enforcement agencies and judicial bodies from Belgium, Denmark, Greece, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Romania, Spain and Portugal – with further support from Moldova and other countries – joined forces in the first coordinated European action against money muling. The operation was also supported by Europol, Eurojust and the European Banking Federation (EBF).
During the week, Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) and the Joint Cybercrime Action Taskforce (J-CAT), together with Eurojust and EBF, provided operational and analytical support to the involved partners. As a result of the operation, nearly 700 money mules were identified across Europe and 81 individuals were arrested after 198 suspects were interviewed by law enforcement agencies. With the support of over 70 banks, significant financial losses were discovered and prevented, and over 900 victims of this crime were identified. More than 90% of the reported money mule transactions were linked to cybercrime.
Europol’s EC3 and Eurojust organised three operational and coordination meetings in The Hague to discuss the unique approach of each Member State to tackle money muling in their respective countries. During the action days, Europol deployed a mobile office to provide support to the Romanian authorities. The command centre was set up by Europol in cooperation with Eurojust to assist the national authorities, cross-check all incoming data against the Agency’s databases and collect intelligence for further analysis.