German police raid money laundering network allegedly transferring over € 100 million to Turkey and Syria

DUSSELDORF, Germany — Police in Dusseldorf, Germany carried out large-scale raids on a suspected money laundering network that allegedly transferred millions of euros from illicit sources to Turkey and Syria.

The police announced that the raids, which began in the early hours on Wednesday, involved more than a thousand police officers and took place in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony, and Bremen.

It was reported that the raids are part of an investigation into the informal money transfer networks in which individuals, not banks, act as intermediaries to transfer money. This system is widely used across the Middle East.

According to German broadcaster Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR), the network under investigation is suspected of diverting more than 100 million euros from the profits of drug smuggling and other illegal activities to Turkey and Syria, part of which may be used to finance armed groups.