WhatsApp chat used to send cash for crime and extremism
Summary
A WhatsApp group chat called "Traders of Greater Europe" was used to move hundreds of millions of euros in cash worldwide to fund crime and extremism, including payments to ISIS militants in Syria. This cash transfer system, based on the hawala method, allows money to be sent without bank records and was uncovered through messages on the phone of a network leader arrested in Belgium.Key Facts
- The group chat had 532 members and over 82,000 messages from February to December 2022.
- It was used to arrange large cash transfers across borders, sometimes over €5,000 per payment.
- Payments reached British cities like Birmingham and London, and militant groups such as ISIS in Syria.
- The system used, hawala, relies on trust-based brokers exchanging money without electronic records.
- Hawala is illegal in most EU countries but legal in the UK if brokers are registered.
- Belgian authorities arrested six money launderers connected to this network after a 2024 court case.
- The arrested network leader’s phone contained evidence of at least 12,000 transactions.
- Investigators described the operation as professional and highly organized without government oversight.
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