Police in the United Arab Emirates and Sweden have arrested seven people suspected of operating an international money laundering network. The alleged leader, a Swedish national who was wanted under an Interpol Red Notice, was detained in the UAE. Six additional suspects were arrested in Sweden simultaneously, with legal proceedings initiated against all seven individuals.
The network handled approximately 70 million Swedish krona ($7.1 million) over a ten-month period, according to the UAE Ministry of Interior. The operation involved laundering cash proceeds from criminal activity and redirecting funds to other criminal entities while using cryptocurrencies to transfer and conceal the value of those funds.
Investigators traced the cryptocurrency transactions and analyzed digital evidence, which revealed financial links to additional criminal activities, including organized crime and contract killings. The discovery was made through extensive searches, investigations, and close monitoring, supported by direct security coordination and intelligence sharing between the UAE and Swedish governments.
Brigadier Abdulaziz Al Ahmad, director general of the Federal Criminal Police at the UAE Ministry of Interior, stated that the country would continue to track criminal networks and disrupt their financing sources. Anders Wiberg, the Swedish Police Authority's police commissioner and head of its international division, characterized cooperation with the UAE as a key factor in achieving the successful outcome.
