A WhatsApp group chat was reportedly used to facilitate the transfer of hundreds of millions of euros globally, funding organized crime and extremism, according to an investigation by European broadcasters. The group, named "Traders of Greater Europe", included 532 members and was used to arrange cash transfers for clients in various locations, including British cities like Birmingham and London. In one instance, funds from Brussels were sent to militants from the Islamic State group (IS) in Syria.
The investigation, conducted by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which includes the BBC, uncovered evidence of similar cash transfer systems being utilized in people smuggling and drug trafficking. The group chat contained over 82,000 messages exchanged between late February and December 2022, and was initially discovered by Belgian investigating magistrate Vincent Guerra. Guerra noted the extensive nature of the transactions, stating that the network spanned "the entire planet" and began as a probe into terror financing but revealed a much larger volume of transactions.
Members communicated in Arabic to coordinate cash payments using the hawala transfer system, which allows funds to be sent globally without electronic records or physical transport of banknotes. This system involves trusted money brokers, known as hawaladars, who settle transactions later. While hawala is often used for legitimate purposes, it can also be exploited by criminals to bypass the Swift system, which banks use to monitor large transactions.
The Traders of Greater Europe group was specifically for transactions exceeding €5,000 (£4,279), with many payments being significantly larger. There is no evidence that all participants were involved in criminal activities. Although hawala is illegal in many countries, it is legal in the UK if brokers are registered with Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
The EBU obtained the WhatsApp messages following a 2024 court case in Belgium that convicted six money launderers, including Abu Adam, the head of the network in Brussels. Evidence indicated that the defendants were sending money to IS to assist militants' families in escaping detention camps in Syria. The discovery of the group chat on Abu Adam's phone revealed extensive operations, including 6,000 photos of €5 notes and identity cards, suggesting he processed at least 12,000 transactions.
Guerra described the findings as akin to "hitting the jackpot", exposing the complex workings of an underground system. The EBU also identified other gangs across Europe utilizing hawala for criminal purposes. A former money launderer, referred to as Frank, reported involvement in transactions totaling several hundred million euros, highlighting the system's use for financing terror, drug trafficking, and other illicit activities.
In Austria, police raided what was termed "the biggest hawala office in Vienna", located in a kebab restaurant, which was allegedly used for people smuggling payments. Two Syrian brothers operating the office were charged with human trafficking and related crimes. Austrian police and Europol have dismantled additional people-smuggling rings financed through hawala, which reportedly transported around 100,000 individuals into Europe over 18 months.
Gerald Tatzgern, leading human-trafficking investigations in Austria, noted that torture was a common practice in people smuggling, with families being extorted for money through the hawala system. Quentin Mugg, a police commander and Europol liaison officer, stated that the hawala system serves as the primary money-laundering channel for organized crime, indifferent to the sources of the money being transferred.