欧洲广播联盟的调查揭露了一个名为"欧洲大交易商"的WhatsApp群组涉及大规模洗钱犯罪。1该群组拥有532名成员，在2022年2月底至12月期间发送超过82,000条消息，最低转账金额为5,000欧元，实际交易往往更大。1一位自称Frank的前洗钱人员表示，其所参与交易的总额达数亿欧元。1
这一犯罪网络利用哈瓦拉这一古老的非正式资金转移系统来规避国际银行监管。1比利时调查官Vincent Guerra称交易数量"令人瞠目"，该网络覆盖范围极广。12024年，比利时法院判决6名洗钱犯，包括网络负责人Abu Adam及其副手Abu Ahmed。1Abu Adam的手机中发现了6,000张5欧元纸币照片和6,000张身份证照片，表明其处理至少12,000笔交易。1
调查还发现整个欧洲存在多个类似的哈瓦拉犯罪网络。1维也纳最大的哈瓦拉办公室由两名叙利亚兄弟经营，他们因人口贩运、刑讯逼供和强奸被分别判处18年和8年监禁。1Europol最近破获的一个人口贩运团伙在18个月内利用哈瓦拉运送约100,000人进入欧洲。1Europol官员称哈瓦拉系统是"有组织犯罪的主要洗钱渠道"。1
A European broadcasting investigation has uncovered a WhatsApp group called "Europe Big Dealers" that served as a hub for money laundering on a massive scale.1 The group, which contained 532 members and generated over 82,000 messages between late February and December 2022, facilitated transactions starting at €5,000 (£4,279), though actual amounts were often substantially larger.1 According to the inquiry, the network operated across the entire European continent, funneling proceeds from organized crime, terrorist financing, human trafficking, and drug smuggling through an ancient remittance system known as hawala, which circumvents international banking oversight.1
The investigation revealed the staggering scale of illicit activity flowing through the network.1 Belgian investigator Vincent Guerra described the transaction volume as "mind-blowing," with the operation's reach spanning "the entire globe."1 Authorities discovered that Abu Adam, the Brussels-based network coordinator, possessed approximately 6,000 photographs of €5 notes and 6,000 identity card images on his phone, indicating he had processed at least 12,000 separate transactions.1 One former money launderer, identifying himself as Frank, stated that transactions he personally handled totaled hundreds of millions of euros.1 In 2024, a Belgian court convicted six money laundering defendants, including Abu Adam and his deputy Abu Ahmed.1
The broader hawala network extends far beyond this single WhatsApp group and has become deeply embedded in European criminal infrastructure.1 Vienna's largest hawala office, operated by two Syrian brothers, resulted in their convictions for human trafficking, torture, and rape, with sentences of 18 and 8 years respectively.1 Europol recently dismantled a human trafficking organization that used the hawala system to move approximately 100,000 people into Europe over an 18-month period.1 Law enforcement officials characterize hawala as "a primary money laundering channel for organized crime."1
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