The 532-member group, called “Traders of Greater Europe”, was used to arrange cross-border cash transfers for clients. The network operated in several locations, including London and Birmingham in the UK.
Investigators found that some payments arranged through the network from Brussels reached Islamic State militants in Syria. Evidence also indicated that similar cash-transfer networks were being used in human trafficking and drug trafficking.
The group contained more than 82,000 messages exchanged between late February and December 2022. The messages, many of them written in Arabic, were used to coordinate cash payments through the traditional hawala system.
Hawala is an informal money-transfer system in which trusted financial agents arrange payments between different locations without directly transferring money through banks or electronic payment systems.
The system can be used for legitimate purposes, including sending money to family members in countries where access to banking services is limited. However, criminals can also exploit hawala networks to move money while avoiding conventional banking channels and financial monitoring.
The “Traders of Greater Europe” group was reportedly dedicated to transactions worth more than €5,000, with many payments involving significantly larger amounts. There was no indication that every member of the group was involved in criminal transactions.
Hawala is illegal in many countries, including most European Union states, while it is legal in the UK provided financial agents are properly registered with HM Revenue and Customs.
The group’s messages were recovered from the mobile phone of Abu Adam, described as the head of the network in Brussels, following his arrest in connection with a 2024 Belgian money-laundering case. Six people were convicted in the case, including Abu Adam and his deputy, Abu Ahmed.
Belgian police found evidence that money was being sent to Islamic State-linked individuals to help the wives of militants held in detention camps in Syria escape.
Investigators also found around 6,000 photographs of €5 banknotes showing their serial numbers, along with approximately 6,000 photographs of identity documents.
Investigators said such information can be used as unique identification codes in hawala transactions. The volume of banknote and identity-document images suggested that Abu Adam may have handled at least 12,000 transactions.
The investigation highlighted the scale and professional nature of the underground financial network, with investigators describing its operators as effectively functioning as unregulated bankers outside government supervision.
Europol officials have also identified hawala networks as a major money-laundering channel for organised crime. Such networks can be used to move money linked to human trafficking, illegal migration, prostitution and other criminal activities, as well as legitimate personal transfers.
The investigation has shed light on how encrypted messaging platforms and informal financial networks can be used to coordinate large-scale cash movements while leaving little conventional financial documentation behind.
