Five suspects have been arrested. They include two women from The Hague (49 and 41 years old) and a 45-year-old man also from The Hague. A 25-year-old woman from Zoetermeer and a 31-year-old man from Zoetermeer are also included. They are all suspected of money laundering.
Seizures were made at two residences. Six vehicles have also been seized, and the suspects bank accounts have been frozen. During the search of the homes, valuable jewelry, designer clothing, and nearly €200,000 in cash were found. These items have also been seized.
This operation is a continuation of an investigation from 2022 into, among other things, money laundering and forgery, in which five suspects were previously arrested in cooperation with the Labor Inspectorate and Confisq (integrated confiscation team).
Police focuses on money laundering
In all investigations conducted by the police, it is examined whether money laundering is involved. In addition to convicting the perpetrator, it is also checked whether the perpetrator has laundered their criminally obtained money (by purchasing expensive goods). If so, a confiscation investigation will follow, ultimately aiming to ensure that the perpetrator loses that money or expensive car.
Based on the Act on the Prevention of Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism, various institutions are legally obliged to report unusual transactions to the FIU-Netherlands. This agency collects, registers, processes, and analyzes the data and makes it available to (Special) Investigation, Intelligence, and Security Services both domestically and internationally. FIU-Netherlands is an independent organization that is managed under the Dutch Police.