HIBAPRESS – Chafiq Annouri
Local media reports in occupied Ceuta revealed that the security authorities have concluded the investigation known as "Operation Smoke" with the arrest of five individuals and the accusation of five others in cases related to money laundering.
The newspaper "ceutaldia" stated that the investigations were initiated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Unit of the Judicial Police in December 2024, after a citizen reported a ban on his bank account due to suspicious financial movements. The newspaper added that the investigation revealed that the account was used to receive fraudulent transfers from victims of scams in various parts of Spain and even Portugal. The "ceutaldia" website indicated that the network relied on fraud in the sale of tobacco via social media and messaging applications, where victims paid the amounts without receiving the goods, before the money was withdrawn from ATMs in occupied Ceuta and transferred in small quantities to Morocco to avoid attention. According to what was stated on the Spanish website, the network used intermediaries known as "mules" to transfer money through the crossings between occupied Ceuta and the rest of Moroccan territory, or through highly secret shipping systems, to be handed over later to other members in exchange for money. The newspaper confirmed that the investigations have so far identified more than 66 victims, and the value of the fraudulently transferred funds exceeded 7,000 euros (about 7.45 million centimes), although the investigators believe that this figure represents a limited part of the total funds transferred. "ceutaldia" warned that the leadership of the network belongs to Moroccan citizens whose identities have not yet been determined, while six people were arrested in occupied Ceuta who worked as intermediaries and direct collaborators with the organization. The newspaper added that the Spanish National Police is continuing its investigations, with the possibility of further arrests and expanding the scope of the search to fully uncover the network's activities.
