An international police operation targeting a sophisticated money-laundering network has led to the arrest of 12 suspects in Spain who are accused of exploiting vulnerable Ukrainian women to open bank accounts used for online gambling and financial fraud.
The Spanish National Police, working closely with Ukrainian police and supported by Europol and Interpol, dismantled the criminal network after a two-year investigation spanning multiple criminal activities including human trafficking, money laundering and fraud.
Investigators believe the group, made up largely of Ukrainian nationals, initially used stolen personal data belonging to Spanish citizens to open bank accounts. The suspects later changed tactics, recruiting Ukrainian women who had been granted temporary protection status in Spain after fleeing the war.
According to Spanish police, the victims were recruited from regions in Ukraine heavily affected by the conflict and were in extremely vulnerable circumstances. Members of the criminal network allegedly transported the women to Spain, accompanied them while opening bank accounts and then sent them back to Ukraine shortly afterwards.
Those accounts were then used to facilitate large-scale online gambling and to move illicit funds.
The suspects reportedly obtained numerous credit cards linked to the accounts and connected them to betting platforms. Some of the accounts were registered using stolen Spanish identities, while others were opened in the names of the exploited women.
So far investigators have identified more than 3,000 stolen credit cards and over 5,000 stolen identities belonging to people from 17 different nationalities.
Authorities say the organisation used computer systems to automate high-volume betting activity in order to maximise profits. Through this method, more than €2.7 million was deposited into gambling accounts, while withdrawals exceeded €4.7 million, generating an estimated €4.75 million in profit.
Police also discovered that the group diverted government subsidies received by some of the victims due to their refugee status. Part of the criminal proceeds was allegedly invested in luxury real estate.
Europol specialists in human trafficking and financial crime supported the investigation by providing operational and analytical assistance and facilitating information exchanges between the countries involved. A Europol officer was also deployed to Spain during the coordinated action day to provide real-time operational support to the Spanish police
The operation led to 12 arrests — eight in Alicante and four in Valencia — and the identification of 55 victims.
Authorities carried out nine house searches in Spain (six in Alicante and three in Valencia) and eight additional searches in Ukraine.
During the raids, officers seized 88 mobile phones, 20 computers, around 500 SIM cards, four vehicles and 22 automated betting bots. They also confiscated €73,000 and $4,200 in cash, along with €200,000 in cryptocurrency.
Investigators additionally froze, identified or blocked 153 bank accounts across 11 countries.
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🚩Desarticulada una organización criminal que captaba a mujeres vulnerables en #Ucrania y usaba sus #identidades para estafar a plataformas de apuestas online
— Policía Nacional (@policia) March 5, 2026
👮🏻♀️ 12 personas detenidas
👉🏽 Habrían obtenido un beneficio de 4.750.000 💶 pic.twitter.com/Pmih9JDkSR
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