In Germany and Europe, there were raids against the biker gang Hells Angels
We are talking about the largest operation against the biker group Hells Angels, its members organized a pan-European network for money laundering, writes Bild
In Germany, there were raids against a biker gang. The Duisburg prosecutor's office and police, as well as the North Rhine-Westphalia Financial Crimes Land Office, conducted a large-scale operation as part of a money laundering investigation. This is reported in a joint release of departments. It took place in the lands of Rhineland-Palatinate, Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Berlin, as well as in Belgium, Bulgaria and the Netherlands.
The investigation is underway against 71 defendants, including the organizers of a money laundering network operating in Germany and other European countries, as well as members of a biker group. They, in particular, are charged with creating a criminal community, extortion, robbery, fraud, money laundering. Cases of arms trafficking, bodily harm and tax evasion are also being investigated.
During the operation, more than 100 locations were searched, 14 arrest warrants were issued and property arrests totaling about €48.6 million were made. More than 1,000 security forces were involved in the operation.
Bild writes that this is the largest operation against the biker group Hells Angels.
According to the investigation, its members organized a pan-European network for money laundering. These include income from drug and weapons trafficking, extortion for “protection” and the sex industry.
“This is the most powerful blow to organized crime in recent years. More than 1,000 law enforcement officers were involved, the operation covered several federal lands, and millions of euros were seized. To attack organized crime, you have to hit money. After all, money is its driving force and its Achilles heel, said Herbert Royle, the interior minister of North Rhine-Westphalia.
The Duisburg police investigation has been ongoing for more than four years. The starting point, according to Bild, was a high-profile shootout at Altmarkt Square in May 2022. Then in the center of Duisburg, members of the biker group and representatives of the Turkish-Lebanese criminal clans entered into an armed clash. Four people were seriously injured.
